Of Cutting Cords and Forging Chains
by RosesToPaint
Summary: The Chuunin Exams are almost in sight and Hisana is faced with her biggest challenge yet: Keeping Sasuke in Konoha and Orochimaru out of it! And then there's Itachi, who's a class all of his own. Part II of "Of Bonds and Hugs like Chokeholds". OC-insert.
1. Chapter 1

Sooo … I hurried?:)

Take this as a prologue of sorts. The next chapter will skip a few more months again. This takes place around 1,5 years after part I.

Also: I realized that this one spells CoaCh ('Cords and Chains') – weird.

* * *

It's winter.

The first harsh one Hisana has ever experienced in Konoha. Five years aren't really all that long, so she doesn't feel like her judgment is worth much, but in her opinion the cold temperatures are a nice change from the usually mellow weather.

Now there's snow everywhere outside, and she takes near unholy glee in watching the citizens struggle with it. Because of the cold Obaa-chan's teahouse is full to the bursting point; it's late afternoon and most people want to warm up a little before trudging home through the snow. And really, Obaa-chan's tea so good that no excuse is actually needed to have it.

Hisana herself isn't quite off duty yet. Or, she is officially. It's just that with Kakashi-shishou one is never quite finished. 'At least not in this life,' he impressed on her repeatedly.

Of course he's late again. So she's already on her fourth cup of tea for today, desperately trying to stay awake because Hisana is pretty sure she won't get to see her bed anytime soon tonight. Tenzo next to her doesn't look much better, clutching his cup as if his life depends on it.

She kicks him under the table when his eyes slide shut and he spills hot tea all over himself. Hisana snickers.

"You're turning into him," he informs her gruffly, too busy rubbing his dry eyes to muster up a glare. "Whenever he isn't here to pick on me himself you suddenly start channeling him." He looks at his empty cup mournfully.

"You just make it so easy," she accuses. Tenzo is a nice guy. Too nice most of the time. To be honest, Hisana still isn't entirely sure what to make of him. While she remembers the Shippuden manga well enough, 'Yamato' used to be a bit of a mystery to her even then. He was too inconsistent, too often shown in sticky situation and not enough during down time to get a clear picture of his personality.

She started picking on him just to see when he'll start fighting back, but he never does. Even though Tenzo has nearly ten years on Hisana and technically outranks her, their shared position as Kakashi-shishou's side-kicks and sometimes punching bags seems to outweigh whatever authority he should have over her. He doesn't have much self-esteem, she thinks in vague pity. Poor guy; Kakashi-shishou sure likes to ride roughshod over him.

"Cheer up, buttercup – I'll get you a new one. Look, I'm braving Baa-chan all by myself for you."

She lifts her hand, calling the grumpy old woman over. It's not often that the old lady comes out of the kitchen to serve customers herself. She's not the most patient person and rather delegates the work to her younger, prettier waitresses. But during days like this, when every table is in use and people line up at the door, she pretty much has no choice.

Hisana, who is usually one of her favorite customers, braces for her snappy mood.

"What is it, girl?"

"Ah – you see, I made a mess, I'm afraid. My friend here needs a new cup of tea."

Hisana shoots her a disarming smile, but the woman's face stays sullen as she turns her eyes to Tenzo, still wet and wiping ineffectively at his shirt. Baa-chan tuts.

"You bully him too much," she admonishes Hisana. "And such a good-looking boy too. You'll never get married like this."

Then she turns around and hobbles off, presumably to get a waitress to deal with their idiocy. Tenzo snickers at her. Hisana kicks him again, this time harder.

"As if I'd take you, even if you begged me," she snipes haughtily, ignoring how he starts laughing harder. It's strange to interact with people who should be around her proper age. Children – or teenagers now, she guesses – are easier to handle. Shiki and Shizuha are the exception to the rule, but the rest of her peers is easily intimidated by her dumb jokes. She knows Choumei would have already shrunk away from her, convinced she was really angry at him, and Inomaru's pride would have taken a severe hit.

She wears the knowledge like armor, aware how to press that advantage if they ever make her uncomfortable. Because they do. At fifteen, hormones have a death grip on her former classmates. She's never been subjected to it **before** , but now, with her pretty face and generally unassuming appearance, they seem to feel _encouraged_. In the past few months she's been cornered by several vaguely familiar boys who though it a good idea to try and engage her in clumsy flirting.

Not a good idea, as it turned out. She'd had no idea what to do, so she defaulted to shutting them down a.s.a.p., leaving a trail of bruised egos in her wake. One such unfortunate encounter was witnessed by Shiki, who recognized her bumbling for what it was and laughed herself sick, much to Hisana's chagrin. Now she really knows how Sasuke feels.

But even though Kakashi-shishou and Tenzo are closer to her real age and should be more intimidating than a bunch of bumbling teenagers, they are essentially harmless. She's just a little girl to them, so smudging the lines between banter and flirting a bit is easy and safe. And if applied at the right moment it seems to amuse them greatly. But getting too comfortable in that persona is also dangerous. A week earlier she made the mistake of talking to Kohaku-senpai that way. He looked very uncomfortable for a few seconds, before Kakashi-shishou broke the tension by flat out laughing in his face.

Shiki nearly broke a rib about that particular piece of information, while Shizuha rather bluntly warned her that her antics have already given her a reputation of liking older men. Tactful those two are not.

No, Hisana is pretty happy where she is: Away from her age mates while they go crazy, and in the more or less well-meaning care of Kakashi's team Eta, currently only consisting of the three of them.

"We should celebrate by just going home," Tenzo suggests, gratefully taking the cup that one of the waitresses hands him. "Just saying. I, for one, haven't slept for almost forty hours."

"Twenty-eight," she admits and shrugs. "I tried, you know. But shishou insisted it may be my promotion, but his accomplishment. Can't really deny that."

At least not completely. Tenzo makes a thoughtful noise.

"You don't really have to call him 'shishou' anymore, you know."

… True. By becoming tokubetsu jounin she's proven she's a tracking expert – enough to rival a jounin. Her apprenticeship is officially over and done. But it's a bit sad; even though she could have killed him five times over, Kakashi wasn't all that bad of a teacher. So much changed, she thinks wistfully. Now she's nobody's student anymore.

"Am I a proper adult now?" she wonders absentmindedly. Tenzo snorts into his tea. He opens his mouth, maybe to tell her that's she'll never be a proper adult, but is stopped by Kakashi stepping through the door. Good, she thinks, so I won't have to make you regret it.

"So," their team leader greets them, "I would have invited you" – scoffs from both of his teammates – "to a bar, but they wouldn't let little Hisana-chan in, so that would be moot. But I have it from a trustworthy source that Baa-chan has some excellent beer." He throws Hisana a conspiratorial look. "Maybe we can sneak you a glass."

* * *

When Hisana gets home she's a little drunk, incredibly tired, and a tad of hysteria is rising in her belly. She stumbles into the genkan, carefully listening for Sasuke's breathing anywhere in the apartment, and kicking her sandals into the corner when she finds it deep and even in the bedroom. Good.

They still haven't managed to move into something bigger, but at this point it's mostly because Sasuke likes it and Hisana has simply dropped the subject. It's a nice apartment; why not keep it? It's not as if she has a private life to speak of. She drags herself to the bathroom, locks the door firmly, and sinks to the floor. Oh god, she's never doing this again. Kakashi is crazy, she thinks faintly. Serves him right then that he has to carry Tenzo home. She hopes he doesn't abandon the poor guy halfway through. It's not an entirely unreasonable fear, because their taicho is far more sloshed then either of them and therefore prone to flightiness.

Sasuke's graduation is four months away. Hisana lets her head sink onto her knees. Four months is nothing at all; far less than she would have liked. If the Kazekage is already dead? The thought of it fills her with anxiety, but also a malicious sort of vindication.

Sasuke is so excited. He won't say it, of course, but graduation is all he talks about. Naruto is far more subdued about it, but that's mostly because he still can't quite believe that he'll pass the exam – much less that team 7 will stay together. Sakura fiercely believes it for him. Right now all the last pieces are slotting into place and in less than seven months Sasuke will awaken his Sharingan. In less than nine, Orochimaru will kill the Sandaime Hokage.

Now Hisana understands why high-ranking ninja often turn to alcohol or lose their minds entirely. Constantly living with such pressure – knowing that you'll have to perform better than you may actually _be capable of_ … Her hands are shaking just thinking about it.

But no, she's maneuvered herself into a good position. She's a tokubetsu jounin, which means she's not just good, she's really good. And that'll have to be enough to secure her a place, _any place_ , in the Konoha Chuunin Exams.

Anko will be her in. The woman likes her, for some unfathomable reason, and will probably jump on the chance to have Hisana as her lackey at the very least. Sticking to her will give Hisana a fool proof way to track Orochimaru should the Sannin outwit her own skills.

Let Anko deal with him then while she goes and extracts team 7.

She has a plan all written out, knows it by heart even. But all that can't calm her nerves. If there's one thing Kakashi succeeded in, it was driving home the point that she can die. That she will die at some point, probably on duty. Very possibly before the war ends or so shortly after that it doesn't even make a difference.

The only thing that keeps her going is the knowledge that she isn't alone in this. Yes, the others aren't aware of it yet, will probably never find out just how much she knows, but Hisana has friends. Capable ones. As much as she will try her hardest to protect team 7, to stop Sasuke from leaving, to save Itachi if she can – to **kill** **Orochimaru, Danzo and the entire misguided clusterfuck that is Akatsuki** , team 7 has its part to play and no one can or will take that away from them.

I'm not the main character, she repeats to herself. I don't need to be the main character.

Hisana will lay the groundwork. That's all it is. Fiddly work, yes, but in the end not the most dangerous part.

Right now her biggest concerns are Orochimaru and Itachi. Sasuke doesn't have the motivation to leave Konoha this time around, which will be a thorn in the Sannin's side. So he will either outright force him, or, more likely, tell him about his brother.

Hisana can't stop that, but she can do damage control, so that's what she'll do. Keep Sasuke from being too traumatized after Zabuza, strengthen his bond with his team, and when he finds out about Itachi, focus his aggression on something useful – on _her_ , if necessary. That'll hurt momentarily but will be better for everyone in the long run.

Hisana rubs her face, forcing the gloomy thoughts away. Four months. She mustn't already run herself ragged about it. Especially because the Chuunin Exams are going to be a lot better supervised than the last time. As expected, the Hokage was more than alarmed to hear of her run-in with Gaara. The Elder Council petitioned to have her questioned and probed by a Yamanaka, to be sure that she isn't lying, to find out about Suna's Jinchuuriki – a million different reasons, really. But as Aburame Shigure predicted, they were easily blocked by the greater council, who were all pretty irked that they would want to send someone of the greater clans to T&I.

As she was informed later, Hyuuga Hiashi even called it "an indignity and an outrage", and wondered aloud if maybe they would like to start interrogating his clan next, because obviously nobody is trustworthy anymore. Apparently the only thing stronger than his dislike for the Uchiha is his distaste for the Elder Council's impertinence towards the noble clans.

Hisana picks herself off the floor and tries to get through her evening routine as quietly as possible. It's not even midnight – god, Kakashi is a heathen – and Sasuke isn't sleeping very deeply yet. She sneaks into the bedroom, watching her cousin for a few long minutes.

It's a bit creepy, how he is the center of her world. He's not always at the forefront of her mind, but ultimately everything she does is to keep him here. Hisana chokes down a silly giggle at herself. Would he appreciate it if he knew? Probably not. Sasuke is still impulsive and a little short-sighted. She loves him dearly, but he's a headache and a half.

But then he does little things, like cleaning up after her, or saying something thoughtful at the right time, and she can see the person he could become if Orochimaru doesn't get to him first. She crawls into bed next to him, vaguely wondering if she can expect him to want a separate bedroom at some point after all. He's grown a lot; the girls have been going crazy over it. Puberty will never leave her alone, will it? She gets rid of her peers and then it gets to her family instead. Maybe. Maybe he doesn't have hormones …?

She closes her eyes before the hysterical giggles come back. Better never ask him about that.

* * *

"You know," Anko tells her a few weeks later, "Most people feel that supervising a bunch of genin while they fool around is punishment."

Hisana stares flatly at her. "I'm not most people," she then settles on, purposely imitating the sassy bend of the other woman's hips. Anko chortles unattractively.

" _I_ want to be in because I like watching them squirm. But why do you?"

"Isn't it enough that I want to?" she huffs, "I could bribe you a little even. Dango?"

"Yes to the dango, no to the rest. I wanna know. You're up to something."

They stare at each other stubbornly. 'I am a seer, and I foresee terrible things.' Yeah, that would go over terrifically.

"Suna-nin are going to be here," Hisana finally bursts out, easily dredging up the very real resentment she feels towards the Kazekage. "I don't trust them!"

"Yeah …," the other woman drawls. "We were briefed about that. Isn't that one more reason you should stay the fuck away?"

"Would you?" Hisana challenges, because of course Anko would be the first to dive in head first, if it were her. Finally the older kunoichi makes a noise that sounds vaguely like approval. Anko is fierce and sure to scare any genin she comes across – a perfect fit for the chuunin exams. And if she puts in a good word for Hisana it would be easy. "Come on," Hisana grits out. "I know you're dying to boss me around."

Anko's loud laughter startle a few birds nearby.

"Hell yeah, I am."


	2. Chapter 2

I feel the powers leaving me – expect a short hiatus sometime soon. Especially because classes are starting in, like, three weeks and I'm simultaneously working on two papers.

Still! – here you are, an update:)

 **Remember** : You can **vote** for what you want after this fic. For more information about this fic and my other pet-projects, please have a look at my **tumblr** , folks.

* * *

She makes a Big Deal out of team 7's graduation.

It makes Naruto nervous, she knows, and – terrible as it is – Hisana is counting on that. As much as she needs and wants him on the team, she also needs him to know about the Kyuubi. It's an integral part of who he is and the knowledge of it will shape him into the person that will one day defeat Akatsuki. If Mizuki doesn't tell him, in a more or less controlled environment and with Iruka-sensei ready to step in, who knows how or if he's ever going to find out. Also, if they can get rid of that traitor, all the better; Hisana shudders to think what sort of damage Mizuki could inflict on Konoha and its Academy students if nobody outs him as the crazy person he has become.

"It'll be fine," she repeats for the hundredth time today as she rubs Naruto's back comfortingly. He's having a bit of a panic attack next to her, shoulders hunched and breathing hard. She watches him in exasperation and fondness, hoping that he'll get a hold of himself soon. A few feet away Sakura is keeping Sasuke from running his mouth while Hisana tries to calm down the blonde and she doesn't know how much longer he will let her. The very last thing Naruto needs right now is her idiot cousin calling him a loser.

"It's just an exam," she tells him calmly, vaguely recalling Iruka-sensei's words from long ago. "You've had them every year."

"Yes," he whines, "And they went terrible every year!" Which … true.

"And yet, here you are," she reminds him, careful to keep her voice low and even. "Ready to take your last exam. You passed every time – barely, yes, but that's what we're aiming for anyway, right?"

He nods, still a little green around the gills. Sakura ambles over with a serious expression.

"We practiced so hard," she reminds him, casting Sasuke wary looks over her shoulder, "You'll do ok! Your theoretical scores will be pretty bad over all, but you know stuff about the Hokages. And your taijutsu has gotten loads better."

His ninjutsu is still pretty shaky, but that's not his fault after all. Until Jiraya comes to correct his seal they'll have to work around it. Sasuke, wisely, keeps mum.

"Sakura, how're things on your end?"

The girl flashes her a thumbs-up very reminiscent of Konoha's Green Beast.

"Great theory, terrible practice! I'll ruin it completely." She sounds so enthusiastic that Hisana has to laugh. The girl has really grown into herself. She still has a long way to go, compared to who she became during Shippuden, but the way she is now Sakura has the potential to become someone even more frightening. Regular eating and continued practice have completely transformed her. She's pretty, Hisana thinks, just like everyone always insisted she were. Lovely hair, of course, and a sweet looking face, but the thing that stands out most about her are her strong limbs. She looks … capable. Somewhat surprisingly she's also grown taller than she probably should be, towering over Naruto by almost an entire head. Funnily enough she's also taller than Sasuke.

Hisana knows it irks her cousin that he has to look up to his female teammate, but Sakura obviously gets some sort of strange kick out of it.

Naruto is still as short as ever. He's also grown a bit, but next to Sakura and even Sasuke, who isn't short for his age at all, he looks like a midget. Hisana knows that he'll get his growth spurt later, but she pities the boy anyway; he's already catching a lot of flak as it is for his boisterous personality. If only his arms weren't so stick thin.

"It'll be great," Hisana reaffirms to the whole team, trying not to wince at how bony his shoulder feels under her hand. "Just this little bit and you're good for a few more years." More like 'months', but she isn't going to tell them that.

On the walk back home Sasuke looks thoughtful. It's a face Hisana still recognizes, because it hasn't changed since he was little: face carefully blank, except for the unconscious pout.

"What is," he finally starts, a little hesitantly, "if the dobe does mess up?" Hisana lets him stew for a minute before she answers, trying to gauge what prompted the question. Is he … worried about Naruto? Or is he just trying to assess how it would impact him personally?

"Then you will be in separate teams. That's just how things go. But you know that doesn't mean that you won't see each other anymore. Just look at me and the girls." It's true that she still sees Shizuha and Shiki more often than Haru and Sora, whom she meets a few times a week for training. "But, you know, things have a way of working out. Especially around Naruto."

Sasuke nods agreeably, easily taking her word for it. He's not so easy to read anymore, but honestly, Hisana isn't as worried about it anymore. Sasuke's temper has evened out considerably and nowadays he's more reserved than broody. According to Shiki he even exchanged a few words with Ino, who came home laughing and sobbing about it. He apparently told her, very firmly, that he appreciates his quiet time and that he'd like her to stop trying to talk to him during class.

Ino was ecstatic that he would deign to talk to her in any manner, but also obviously hurt by the rejection. Nevertheless she stopped trying to engage him in conversations and has settled back into admiring him from afar. Encouraged by the small success Sasuke has started Using His Words – sparsely but to great effect: When her cousin talks, people listen. She's unreasonably proud of him.

Minutes pass in silence. It's not late yet, but Hisana estimates there are at most forty more minutes of sunlight left. Winter time brings short days, even in Konoha. Honestly, she thought the conversation done, thoughts already on dinner, but then, out of nowhere Sasuke says, "Hisa-nee, why do you want us to stay a team so badly?"

She very nearly stumbles over her own feet. Sasuke is watching her closely; it's not an accusation, but rather a genuine question. He doesn't get her motivation but he guessed at its existence anyway.

"Well, isn't that what you want too?" Because at this point she really does think he wants them around. No matter how put upon he sometimes acts, Sasuke is attached to his team. Not in a way that will have him buying friendship bracelets or even birthday presents anytime soon, but she thinks he appreciates the camaraderie and connection that only those two can provide. They are extraordinarily compatible for three such completely different characters.

"Yes," he says slowly, as if bracing for an argument – or maybe already expecting her to deflect. "But you picked them. And I know it was you who talked to Sakura about keeping us together."

Ahh, so she had told them. It's not entirely unexpected, but it makes the situation no less uncomfortable. She can't tell Sasuke the truth, but he has developed an uncanny knack for knowing when she's lying to him. Half-truths then.

"I trust them. We both know a new team would bring its own set of difficulties. You'd have to get to know them, build up the same sort of teamwork as with Naruto and Sakura. And there's no guarantee that it'll work. They might be idiots. They might just hate you for no reason." Because Sasuke is still a little jerk.

She scratches her neck, aware that he has probably thought even more extensively about this than her. He _knows_ all this. "Naruto and Sakura know you so well, there's no way they'll accidently mess up – and they like you, so they won't mess up on purpose. We're both a rare commodity, Sasuke and people outside of Konoha _want us_ for about a million different reasons – none of which you'll like, I can promise you that."

He grimaces like he always does when she brings up this particular subject. The massacre left deep-seated scars on him. The pain has faded into background noise, but it'll never go away.

"I can't let you leave the village, off to who-knows-where doing who-knows-what, with a sketchy team at your back," she says quietly, bringing the conversation back to more personal territory. "What would _I do_ if you just didn't come home one day because one of your teammates messed up?"

Her cousin heaves a sigh so deep that Hisana almost thinks she might have annoyed him. But Sasuke's expression has morphed into something unexpectedly soft and worried.

"You don't need to protect me at every turn," he finally says, voice grim. "I'll be a genin – that means weeding gardens and painting fences. It'll be months before I can leave the village. And then I'll be able to protect myself."

She hesitates to correct him. Against Zabuza or Orochimaru? Not even she can defend herself against them. But there's no use listing all the dangerous people out there who'd love to get their hands on him.

"One day I'm going to leave the village by myself," he insists, stopping abruptly in the street to catch her gaze head on. "I'll do missions by myself. I'll be a chuunin at some point. I _will be_ a jounin. How am I ever going to get there if you won't let me try?"

"I'm letting you try," she says, quietly, defensively. It sounds like a lie to her own ears. "It's just … I know you know what it's like out there. But knowing and seeing are different things. Witnessing one night of blood-shed isn't the same as _living_ it, _participating_ in it."

He hisses at her, stung by the callous remark. It's the truth, but Hisana realizes how it sounds as soon as the words are out of her mouth. Sasuke turns on his heels and stalks off without a further word; Hisana suppresses the urge to call after him. They both need to cool off. He hasn't yelled at her, she should consider that a victory.

* * *

He's right of course, she thinks later, sitting on the couch and watching the light fade outside. Sasuke will be really, really badass one day. It's just so hard to remember when he's only twelve, complaining about silly things and she's so proud of every stupid thing he does because he's _still so young_. The truth is that she's always been this protective. But as long as he was safely locked inside Konoha she'd never had a reason to let him know that. All the worrying and the crying over what's coming – Sasuke doesn't know about any of that. She keeps forgetting that.

To him there's no enemy waiting outside the gates. Just courier missions and bandits.

A noise from the bedroom jerks her out of her thoughts. For a moment Hisana thinks it might be Sasuke trying to avoid her, but her cousin is nothing if not brazen; he'd walk right past Hisana without sparing her a look. No, there are just a hand full of people who'd break into her apartment without bothering to knock at the front door first – none of which would have made that much noise though. Hisana sniffs discreetly, before abruptly standing up and walking towards the bedroom.

"Anko," she says flatly, watching the older woman unashamedly looking through her closet.

"Hey," the other woman greets absentmindedly, as if she isn't nosing through Hisana's personal items. "Your things are all so drab," she bemoans, throwing a training outfit onto her and Sasuke's bed. "Not a single bit of fishnet – are you even a proper ninja?"

"What are you doing here?" Hisana forces out, bewildered and not just a little scandalized. "And what do you think you're doing with my clothes?"

Anko flashes a toothy grin at her before wriggling her finger forbiddingly in Hisana's direction.

"Be nice, I bring good news! The Hokage okayed me for the Exams – and I told him that I want you as my lackey."

"A-and he agreed?" If he did it would take a huge load off her shoulders.

"I believe," Anko drawls, "his exact words were 'Do whatever you want'. Granted, by that point I already made two of his pitiful desk ninja cry, but _eh_."

Hisana resists the wild urge to hug the crazy woman. With Anko she'd be a fixed part of the second task.

"Yess!" she hisses instead, unable to contain the glee and relief. Of course that would mean she'd have to work closely with the snake lady, as well as probably Ibiki and that sickly ninja who did the preliminaries. But even the thought of regularly seeing Ibiki's ugly mug doesn't quite dampen the giddy throb of her pulse.

"You do realize," Anko adds, as if eager to squash all Hisana's enthusiasm, "that I can't be seen with you as long as you look like that?"

Hisana looks down herself, cataloguing her regulation outfit. Boots, pants, shirt – all in black.

"I look fine," she insists. The outfit is as simple as it is useful and she doesn't get attached enough to get depressed if it inevitably bites the dust. No matter how mild he may be, on the field Tenzo is a bulldozer and it shows by the number of Hisana's outfits that found their way into the trash by now. It's a Team Kakashi thing, she thinks wryly. But Anko is already waving a dismissive hand at her, eyes gleaming with enthusiasm.

"No way! You look boring – my flunkey's not going to be a boring ass regulation ninja. If you wanna be dangerous, you gotta look the part." She makes a grand gesture towards her own outfit. "Fear is mostly in the head," she imparts wisely striking a few poses in front of the mirror, Hisana's clothes held against her chest, before dismissing them all. "You talk to the lizard part of their brain and they'll shit their pants all on their own."

It does make sense, but in no way corresponds to the look on Anko's face as she cheerfully throws one dark shirt after another into the growing pile on the floor. Somewhat mutedly Hisana remembers that Anko doesn't have very many friends. She must be what now – twenty-four? Orochimaru's defection left her ostracized since she was barely a teenager. People respect her, yes, because they give her no choice. But she's neither accepted nor trusted in the least. Hisana strongly suspects that if Anko were anybody else but Orochimaru's former students she would have made jounin long ago – maybe even with a genin team of her own.

No matter how loony she seems, that sort of rejection must have left some pretty harsh scars. No wonder she's so taken with the idea of having someone around.

"Fine, fine," Hisana agrees warily. "So, great master, tell me how to be scary."


	3. Chapter 3

I've never written anything on clothes shopping. Most of my character descriptions are slipped in in little tidbits, so that I don't bore you with them. First time for everything, I guess. I'm currently looking to upload a crude pic of Hisana post-time skip.

* * *

Spending time with Anko isn't as bad as Hisana expected. It's … exhausting, yes, but the woman reminds her a little of an older, female Naruto. It's endearing, in an entirely wacky sort of way, to listen to her babble while she dismisses shop after shop after shop.

"Real clothing," she stresses. "Not something every idiot is wearing and throwing away. You need a _signature style_."

It's a daunting prospect, mostly because Hisana isn't so sure she wants to be remembered at all, much less for her outfit.

"Nothing too revealing," she repeats, probably for the fifth time today. "I'm fifteen. And also, if someone tries to look up my skirt I won't be flattered, I'll break their neck."

Anko looks at her as if Hisana just handed her the answer to everything.

"Something badass then – sexiness can wait until you're legal." … or until never, Hisana thinks a little squeamishly. She can fake confidence for a few precious minutes, mostly by imitating women who don't have to fake it, but there's no way she can be convincing with an outfit like Anko's. Ever.

They bicker over every little detail. In the end Hisana is half convinced they'll kill each other before the Exams start. But it's also fun. Anko deals out abuse and compliments and ribs in rapid fire and takes them just as easily. At some point she will inevitably yell in Hisana's face and then break out in thrilled guffaws. A little dazed Hisana wonders if, instead of Naruto, a few years down the road this might be _Ino_. The thought is sobering. If this is the sort of person Shiki knows, she suddenly gets why her friend is so keen on curing the girl of her strange obsessions. What a waste it would be.

It takes them four precious hours, but then they finally settle on something that Hisana likes and Anko deems 'not too terrible'. It almost reminds her of a sleeker version of the ANBU garb. It's a bit tighter than what she usually wears, making for an entirely novel experience while wearing it. But it's sort of useful too – it's a one-piece, easily put on and off thanks to the zipper on the side. To Hisana's delight the collar is reinforced with leather and steel wire – no getting to her throat anymore – and reaches up to clamp over her chin, reminiscent of both Kakashi and Tenzo. They're matching now; she doesn't know how to feel about that. She also looks a bit like Gai, Hisana thinks with a frown. But all in black.

"In no way like Gai," Anko assures her unprompted, fuelling Hisana's suspicion that the comparison does come to mind. "It's not spandex," the woman continues. "I can see the look on your face. If Gai dressed like that I'd date him."

Putting on her high boots and flak jacket do make her feel a little less naked. It's the pants part she thinks, looking down her legs. It feels like wearing leggings instead of pants.

"You … wanna invest in a push-up?" Anko suggests carefully, eying how the suit outlines Hisana's serious lack of bust. She's met with a death glare so severe that even the tokubetsu jounin has to backtrack. "Just a question!"

For the first time **ever** Hisana feels like an adult. How ironic it should happen while she's wearing a fifteen year old body. She decides that she quite likes it anyway.

* * *

Sasuke is avoiding her. Not in an aggressive way that has him glaring and stomping around, but in a quiet way. She knows he's still brooding about what she said, wanting to deny it, but her words are getting to him. Hisana is really only waiting for his anger to fade completely, giving him time to think the whole thing through, before she apologizes. Doing it now would invalidate everything she tried to impress on him. But not doing it isn't an option either. What she said was … unintentionally cruel.

Fighting with Sasuke, as rare as it is, always makes her feel a little sick to her stomach. They've clung to each other for so long that it feels wrong not to have him nearby, emotionally more than physically. Team 7 did them both good, stopping them from becoming nothing but an extension of each other – 'Uchiha', rather than 'Sasuke' and 'Hisana' – but it didn't impact the bond they formed in a matter of weeks after the massacre. In some ways they'll always be a unit, for better or worse, which makes true fights painful.

It's been only a few days, but she wants to do _something_ about it.

For now she'll wait. As long as he's still coming home instead of holing up at Naruto's he can't be too angry with her.

* * *

Graduation is only a few weeks away.  
Team 7 seems to have fallen in some sort of battle calm about it, which is nice. At least Naruto isn't having panic attacks anymore. They're still an accident waiting to happen, but she'll count her blessings. From afar Hisana watches the current team 7, Team Gai, as it will be called soon, practice near training ground one.

In said training ground a group of genin is currently trying to repair the damage she and Kakashi did to it. Or rather Kakashi. He's a heavy hitter, which, once she thinks about it, doesn't suit his character very much. The sounds of shovels and muffled curses masks whatever careless noises she produces, sitting in a tree not too far from Neji and his team. Her chakra signature is muffled so none of them has any reason to look up to where she is. Gai probably noticed, but chose not to say anything. Sometimes Hisana really can't puzzle out that man's motivations.

They've been at it for almost a year now – team exercises. For all intents and purposes they aren't bad at it. It's just that Neji hates it. With a passion. Hisana knows this because he gets unusually aggressive whenever Gai comes up with a new exercise. She's aware Gai knows this too, and it's the reason why he keeps going. As long as Neji hates teamwork, he's not doing it right, even if the result _looks about right_.

And it's an interesting team too, she thinks. Almost interesting enough that she wants to get involved. Lee is as enthusiastic as she feared, but there's a simple charm to him that gets to her even from afar. She'd always scoffed at the thought of Lee and Sakura – Sakura obviously belonged to Sasuke – but looking at it from this angle she can almost see it. Especially with Sakura as she is now. They'd surely be an entertaining duo.

And she sympathizes with Tenten. The girl obviously has the short end of the stick here: One teammate a certified genius, the other her teacher's favorite. Gai doesn't actually do favorites, but with Lee it's still different. The poor girl is in any case the odd one out, despite being pretty remarkable herself. It's what happens if you have no pink hair, Hisana thinks wistfully, probably over-identifying with Neji's female teammate. After all she still remembers vividly what it's like to be so casually outshone.

But, no matter how tempting, she isn't going to introduce herself. If Gai decides to call her down some day that would be a different thing. But right now she's perfectly happy waiting for Neji like this and properly meet them all during the Exams. She suppresses a quiet laugh; they don't even know they're participating yet.

The Hyuuga hangs back when his teammates jump at the suggestion of dinner. His refusal to join them is reasonably polite, but abrupt enough to put a consternated look on Tenten's face. "Fine then," she says, brows furrowed. "One day you're going to have to come along though. Gai-sensei will drag you if he has to."

As soon as they're out of view Hisana slides out of the tree. If she startled him, Neji gives no sign of it. He expected her of course; she always watches the last half of his team's Saturday practice. But occasionally Hisana makes an effort to act as if she doesn't.

Neji falls into the Juuken style without a further word. They're still not talking much, though Hisana has made an effort to produce a few words every now and then. But Neji takes aloofness to a whole different level. It's like this most of the time; he just expects her to get on with it already with the simple sense of entitlement that a lot of Hyuuga seem to have perfected. She huffs at him but complies anyway.

It's not as if she has the unbearable urge to be his friend. Screw him. When Hisana trounces him, she gleefully holds close the memory of the great Hyuuga Neji trying and failing to rub the dirt out of his shirt. And when he stalks off in a huff, starting the long walk across the entire town to the Hyuuga compound, she doesn't even consider calling a warning after him. There's mud at the seat of his pants and he deserves it.

* * *

Seeing Ibiki's face first thing in the morning is indeed an experience. The man himself doesn't look like he particularly wants to see them either, but he's probably still better off than the number of chuunin and tokujou gathered around the table. At least he is hardened to the dark rooms that are his workplace; the rest of them have never stepped foot into the innermost chambers of T&I.

Of course the Chuunin Exams are a group effort. Sitting here, brainstorming, vaguely feels like high school all over again, and not in a good way. Across from Hisana Yamanaka Inori is preparing to take minutes. The image is crassly at odds with two chuunin telling dirty jokes a few chairs over. The Yamanaka's face gets increasingly more aggravated, until Inuzuka Hana lobs an eraser at the two idiots, knocking one of them clean off his chair.

Ibiki clears his throat, nipping any argument in the bud. "Now! Quiet down, you aren't silly teenagers anymore." He casts a look at a number of tittering younger chuunin and amends, "Most of you in any case. You are all here because you expressed a wish to participate in the Exams."

A man rolls in a creaky blackboard and hands him a case of chalk. Ibiki pointedly snaps off a piece and taps it against the table. "Ideas!" he barks, looking for all the world like a general leading them to war.

"We stick them in the forest," Anko immediately volunteers, gleeful look on her face. "With the snakes and the lions. Make them work for it!" The others seem to contemplate this.

"Yes," Namiashi Raidou starts carefully, " … but _why_?"

"It's too dangerous," someone immediately frets. "They're all going to die – for what? A survival exercise? I don't see the point either."

"But they are real-life conditions," Hisana throws in. "At least in Fire Country. Duel style matches and clever tricks are all good and well … but shouldn't we test how they perform in real mission conditions?" Everything in her protests saying 'we'. She doesn't feel remotely qualified to contribute anything to this, but she won't let them shoot Anko down. This is right – this needs to happen; why make it difficult?

"There are other ways to do that," the same woman complains, leaning forward in her chair until Hisana can properly see her face. Obviously a long-time chuunin. Desk job. Fussy – former Academy instructor or possibly got traumatized during the Exams herself. Hisana doesn't need her Sharingan to figure that out. Her mouth pulls down in distaste.

"Are there?" she asks sweetly. "I'd love to hear some."

The woman sputters.

"We … we could stage an escort mission."

"On the open field? To make it nice and easy?"

"We could … send them on a courier run and have them hunted by volunteers."

"You mean like Kusa did last time? I don't think that's fair – some of them will do that twice then. Do you want our finale full of Kusa-nin?"

Next to Hisana Anko is snickering. She pinches the tokujo she muffles her sounds of amusement. The other woman falls back into her chair with a huff. Inuzuka Hana is staring at Hisana with interest.

"And then there's the teamwork angle," Hisana adds, emboldened by her victory. "Why draw it out into two tests if we can get it done in one? Team exercise and survival. If that's … too dangerous, we could station a few guards around. To keep an eye on everything."

"Let's write it down," Ibiki finally agrees. "It seems like an option at least."

When Hisana finally steps foot outside T&I it's already dark outside. It's easy to lose track of time down there, which is probably intended, she realizes belatedly. Next to her Anko stretches obscenely and yawns loudly enough to startle some passers-by. "I'm going home," she announces. "Was a hard ass day." She punches Hisana in the shoulder. "Good going down there. Looks like you're useful after all."

"Strangely, I get that a lot."

They part ways in easy silence. Maybe getting to know Anko isn't such a bad thing. She's obviously pretty capable and a go-getter. If she's really lucky Hisana might even get a few insights into Orochimaru's dark, dank noggin though her. She's being pretty optimistic here, but Hisana has long since learned to keep her thoughts light if she can, even if it means lying to herself a little. Hope is always a good thing to have.

While a stroll through Konoha at night is a really neat thing, the village is pretty safe after all, it does give Hisana too much time to think. It's not so late yet that Sasuke will have gone to bed already. Yesterday evening was pretty awkward because they were both at home early. She'd intended to apologize, but Sasuke's ire still hadn't entirely cooled. As soon as she opened her mouth the boy fled the kitchen, so she thought better of it. It also makes the entire sleeping arrangement awkward; it made Hisana seriously consider looking for a bigger apartment after all.

It's only a matter of time before they argue again and she has really no desire to share a bed with him when he's angry, as if they were some sort of frustrated married couple. And no matter what her cousin might still think, it's bound to get awkward at one point for at least one of them. Probably him. Though that's a topic she may not want to bring up so soon after a fight.

When she turns into their street Hisana can already see that the lights are on in their little kitchen. She really hopes they can talk now or she'll sleep on the couch tonight.


	4. Chapter 4

Looks like I still got some juice left? Honestly, I read and re-read all of your reviews and I get super motivated. There are really few things nicer than knowing that I'm not just producing crap.

* * *

Sasuke is already sitting in the living room, a bowl of something on his lap. Smells like Miso, definitely not by Hisana's doing. This could be … a peace offering or a declaration of independence, depending on whether or not he made some for her as well. Outwardly he doesn't seem to spare her a glance, but Hisana can hear and sense his spoon halting. He's watching her covertly. When she walks past him into the kitchen there's indeed an entire pot of soup. She takes some and prepares herself for the coming confrontation. It's not unlike preparing for battle, she finds, unsure whether to find that amusing or disturbing.

This isn't a battle. Or at least it isn't supposed to be.

Making an effort to look less confrontational she loosens her shoulders. Hisana thinks she doesn't look very combative right now: Suit half off, shoes and vest thrown off at the entrance. For good measure she pulls out her hair tie; it leaves a messy kink in her strands that makes her feel vaguely unkempt.

When she marches back into the living room Sasuke is watching her from under his fringe, eyes wide with expectation. It makes him look years younger; a purely calculated move on his part. Looks like she isn't the only one who prepared herself. "You underhanded little shit," she says, the words simply slipping out. For a moment he stares at her – this time genuinely wide-eyed – before he snorts derisively.

"Look who is talking. Put your hair back up, dimwit."

Hisana sinks onto the couch in relief.

"I hate fighting with you," she says, "It never ends well for me."

"You've been thinking about separate bedrooms again," he accuses.

"Seriously Sasuke, one of these days it's going to end in tears."

"Don't be dramatic."

Hisana slings an arm around his shoulder, food forgotten for the moment.

"You do realize," she says lowly, "that I'll always worry? All the time? You can't stop me. _**I**_ can't stop me. And as long as your life ambition is so dangerous you'll have to fight me every step of the way in one way or another."

"Then I will just have to pick my battles," he tells her smartly. "I can live with Naruto and Sakura. But if I have to hog-tie you to make jounin, I will."

"If you manage that you have my blessings," she says flatly. If Sasuke makes jounin – _when_ he makes jounin, Hisana has no doubt that Kakashi will need exactly zero convincing to pull him into team Eta. Judging by the look on Sasuke's face he already expects her to plan something shady. "One more week," Hisana finally hums, "Are you ready?" After all, apart from the Wave mission, he has months of boredom and menial tasks to look forward to. He scoffs at her.

"Of course I'm ready. Who do you think I am – the dobe?"

She pinches him in the neck, delighting in his uncoordinated jerk backwards.

"Don't be mean."

* * *

"We could … have group duels! With a point system – if we tie heavy weights to only one of them – "

Hisana lets her head drop onto the table. "Just send them into the damn forest already!" she snaps, " _My god_!"

* * *

"This is all your own fault," Shiki reminds her, reading glasses perched precariously low on her nose. It makes her look like a teacher.

"I know," she hisses. "Leave me alone. I just … thought it would be a good experience."

"No you did not," Shizuha assert easily. "I am unsure what exactly made you decide to spend your _last remaining free time_ on this" – here her tone heavily implies 'instead of with us' – "but pure learning experiences have yet to motivate you to anything."

"Shizurin, you're so harsh," Hisana whines. "Are you saying I'm lazy?"

"Yes. Yes, I am."

Two tables over someone snickers before Shiki cuts his amusement short.

"If you have time to eavesdrop, you have time for the rest of your paperwork, Hotaka. Get going."

The young man wilts under her stern eyes and then slinks off, presumably to get his paperwork. Poor guy, Hisana thinks charitably. Since she got her own team lazy Shiki has turned into somewhat of a slave driver. It's amusing to watch, mostly because she effortlessly swings back and forth between strict task-master and useless layabout like a pendulum.

Shizuha, too, has a team to command. Its members come and go because most of them are newly made chuunin, but it's still a success. As it turns out the Aburame has shown to be very adept at weeding out the squeamish ones. In an unexpected turn of events Shizuha's promotion to tokubetsu jounin actually got through two weeks before Hisana's – something that Shiki still hasn't let her forget, despite the fact that the Nara's own promotion is still up in the air.

Career-wise, Hisana thinks wistfully, those two are worlds ahead of her. Tracking is a pretty informal department and if she wants to lead a squad she'll have to compete with a dozen or so Inuzuka jounin first. But Kakashi's team – Kakashi- _taichou's_ team – is already rather infamous, even though it's barely a few months old. Team-wise everything Kakashi touches appears to turn into gold. It's a testament of how much of a clusterfuck the original team 7 was that even he couldn't save it.

Still, it chafes a little. Being responsible for her own team would be … nice. Of course she could always pull a Genma and oversee a provisory team of Academy students, but she's not entirely sure how good she actually is with children who aren't her cousin plus entourage.

The though triggers another one. In the manga she never actually found out what happened to the girls who bullied Sakura. Ami and … god, she forgot the names again. Honestly, she'd really love to know if they'll manage.

"Shizurin, who were those girls again …? The one that were mean to Sakura-chan?"

The Aburame only looks at her in confusion before giving a helpless shrug. No idea either.

"The inner workings of your head sometimes really worry me," Shiki deadpans. "What brought that on?"

"I just thought I needed a hobby." It's a testament of how good they know each other that neither girl seems confused.

"Get a pet," the Nara says, "like a normal person." For a moment Hisana only stares at her, ready to laugh and swat the girl, but the idea isn't so stupid after all. Of course ninja don't get regular pets, but there are nin-dogs. The thought of a partner like that is appealing, but she still holds somewhat of a grudge against Inuzuka Tsume, so she's not going to ask her. Also, Hisana is more of a cat person than a dog person, and the only clan capable of providing nin-cats in Konoha were the Uchiha. The thought of tracking down Nekobaa doesn't sit well with her for some reason. Maybe for Sasuke, one day. God knows the boy could use a companion. Preferably a non-scaly one. Instead, another thought comes to mind

A summoning animal would serve almost as well; better even, because she's pretty independent and lugging an animal around with her all the time seems like it would be more of a hindrance than help. An uncomfortable but almost seductive idea occurs her. It's been a while since she visited Uchiha complex.

* * *

Summons aren't actually as common as she'd first thought. Many ninja rather utilize nin-animals instead of trying to get their hands on a contract.

Haru unexpectedly brought back a scroll from the Iwa Exams, and Hisana has seen what sort of difficulties you can face, even if you manage to find one. She has no idea how her former teammate got his hands on the contract and he doesn't like talking about. Judging by how suspiciously the raccoons watched him in the beginning can't have been good. They worked for him, but only grudgingly, before he properly earned their trust. Months of hard work. And then you might be stuck with someone whose personality you can't stand.

Investing some time and training in a baby nin-animal sounds much more appealing in comparison.

Hisana fishes the keys for the wrought iron gate out of her pocket. The Uchiha district hasn't changed at all – how would it? The atmosphere is especially bad in the cold spring weather when fog crawls through the streets like a cheap horror movie. Hisana isn't scared but it's somewhat weird knowing that others would be. It's almost as if the entire place was made for terrible stories to take place in.

The last time she was here was months ago. She's found the shrine by now, but destroying the stone plates that hold the Sharingan's secrets is almost impossible. Hisana has no idea what they did with it, but no jutsu could scratch it and it's too heavy to bring anywhere.

She did however find some documents that were worth incinerating. But in the end she didn't. They are currently, like Shisui's letter, stuffed into her underwear drawer, because it occurred to her that she might someday need them to convince Sasuke of Itachi's innocence. Or at least his … goodwill. Itachi is anything but innocent, even if they probably both wish otherwise.

Grimacing, Hisana decides that today is decidedly the last time she'll come here without Sasuke. The place always gives hear heart aches.

Stepping into 'Hisana's' family home stills seems like an intrusion of the worst kind. Despite how close Hisana feels to Shisui, the reasons for which she hasn't dared to examine too closely, these people were strangers and parading their not-dead-but-as-good-as daughter in front of them can't be good for her karma. Also the upstairs rooms give her the same willies that Fugaku-sama's dojo does. Hisana's father died in his bed – asleep as she suspects. The bed itself is stripped of anything bloody, but the fact that the entire mattress is _missing_ does speak volumes.

Shisui's room is … an adventure. It's not messy, but definitely not clean either.

Privately she wonders if her brother thought he'd succeed until the very end. Some people clean up before they commit suicide, even take off their shoes before they jump from a roof. It's the reason she thinks Itachi's room is so neat. Shisui had too much hope left.

None of his things have been moved since he died, except for a carton on his desk. He seems to have had a desk somewhere that they cleaned out for him. Searching through his things feels somehow more awkward than it did to look through her oldest cousin's room. Hisana barely dares to open any secret compartment she finds – and boy are there many – afraid she'll stumble onto something that … seventeen year old boys are prone to hiding in their room.

Apart from that, looking at his possessions is confusing and painful. Some things her hands linger on longer than necessary, fingers twisting around them in unwilling spasms. In the end she stuffs one of his shirts into her bag, unsure what to do with it but unwilling to take it out again.

At the very bottom of a box on his dresser, shoved far against the wall, she finally finds what she's been looking for. It's a pretty scroll, snow white with blue trimmings. When Hisana opens it she finds the signatures of four Uchiha at the bottom, the very last one belonging to her brother. She rolls it back up, nervousness kicking up another notch. She has no idea what sort of animal this is, would have to unroll yards of paper judging by the size of it, but right now it doesn't even matter. This is it.

Hisana lets the contract slide into her bag, forcing herself not to feel like a thief. Nobody will miss it. Officially everything in here belongs to her anyway. She may not be 'Hisana', but she's all that's left of the girl; nobody has any more right to it than her.

She wills the unbidden thoughts away and hurries down the stairs. The sooner she gets out of this place, the better.

Instead of going straight home, the way she really wants to, Hisana heads for one of the less popular training grounds. She unrolls the scroll, hesitating.

This a big commitment. Does she really want that? _Yes, yes, yes_ , it goes off in her head. For the first time in a pretty long while Hisana has no idea what she's doing, but is _still_ convinced that it's the right thing. She nicks her finger with a senbon and awkwardly smears her name below Shisui's. So. And now?

 **Boar** , **Dog** , **Bird** , **Monkey** , … **Ram**?

There's a poof of smoke so intense that Hisana falls over backwards, painfully hitting her tail bone. She coughs and then chokes.

In front of her lies a tiny, almost naked skunk.

By reflex her hands reach out but then falter. Oh god – can she touch it? Why is it so small? Is it dead? The skunk kit squirms uncomfortably and then disappears with a much smaller poof.

Hisana stares at the spot, aghast. "Skunks, Shisui?" she hisses, "Really?"

She rubs her head roughly, trying to concentrate. One more try.

This time she forces more chakra into the jutsu. There's still an uncontrolled explosion of smoke, but at least this time she's prepared. A moment of silence and then the sound of exaggerated sniffing.

"Shisui?" it bleats out of the dust cover, "What the hell, I can smell you, you bastard!"

"Be quiet idiot! That's not him – can't you read chakra at all?"

"No way! I recognize that stink anywhere! You asshole, where have you been?"

A skunk stumbles towards her, completely bypassing Hisana before sticking its nose into her backpack. She stares at it, unsure whether or not to say anything. And then there's suddenly another one, ambling over to squint at her. They're about as big as a pair of cats, both wearing vests with the Uchiha fan on the back.

"Who're you?" the smaller one questions from below, sitting back on its haunches and rubbing its eyes. Its voice is decidedly female. Behind them the other skunk has managed to get into Hisana's bag and is throwing stuff all over the floor.

"I- I'm Uchiha Hisana," she forces out, trying to sound confident but failing spectacularly. What's going on? Are those Shisui's summons?

"Hisana, Hisana," it comes from her bag. "I know that name. Idiot would never shut up about you."

"Come down here," the female one demands. Hisana kneels down next to her, allowing the animal to touch her face. "You're older than I thought," she finally says. "But then again, it's been a while. Where's your brother?"

Hisana licks her lips awkwardly. "Ah … there's … There's something you need to know."


	5. Chapter 5

Wheew, this one was difficult. If you're interested, I uploaded a **pic of Hisana** post BaH; the link is on my profile page.

 **Also** , if you visit my tumblr, you'll get a taste of **that Ino-Aburame romance** you wanted. I haven't decided if it's going to be InoShino or InoOC yet, but I'm totally in love with Ino's character.

* * *

Their names are Ran and Fudo and they didn't take the news well.

It's been two hours since she explained, slowly and in small words, that Shisui is _dead_. Ran only froze before asserting in a brittle voice that, "Well, shinobi die, I guess" and then curling up into a ball. Fudo has refused to let go of Shisui's shirt that he finally managed to free from of her bag, instead dragging it into Hisana's lap and then flopping down on it. "We thought he must be," he admits quietly. "But you never _really_ believe it, you know? There's never been anyone else, after all."

She feels bad now, for never thinking that maybe someone was still waiting for Shisui. She simply assumed that everyone who would miss him was already dead. There must be more, Hisana realizes dimly. More Uchiha summons who never found out what happened to their masters. They would need to look for them. If only … to make sure they get into good hands in the end. Hisana gathers herself an arm full of skunk.

It feels a little weird, being responsible for them now just as much as they're responsible for her. They're their own people … _animals_ , but the person they serve seems to be an integral part of who they are. According to Ran it's not uncommon that some of them simply retire once their master is dead. No wonder Haru had such problems with his raccoons – he was probably even the one who killed their master. Hisana cards her fingers through Fudo's fur, unsure what to do with them now that she has them. "Tell me about him," she finally says. "I want to know him the way you knew him."

* * *

Kakashi is appreciative for about five minutes before his brows furrow.

"I would have let you sign my contract," he says and it sounds a bit like an accusation. Hisana chooses not to remind him that she's not his student anymore. "I mean they work pretty well for tracking too," he amends, "But …"

But they're small. Their teeth are too small to latch onto an opponent like a dog and their claws are made for digging, not scratching like a cat's. Obviously their spray is crippling, so it's the perfect non-lethal take down, but scent-wise it's also huge beacon for anyone in the vicinity. Not only can you find your target, _everyone_ can find it. To be honest, she has no idea what they even do.

"Genjutsu," Ran tells them, sounding rather self-satisfied. Team Eta starts. "Yes, yes, nobody ever expects that."

"So what?" Tenzo enquires from a safe distance away. "You … wave your tail at them?" Hisana eyes the hypnotic pattern on Ran's tail in contemplation. That's too obvious, she thinks. Nobody is stupid enough so close to a skunk's tail.

"If that's what you want, stupid," Fudo snorts. "We can do _all the genjutsu_. Ever." His sister rolls her glittering, black eyes at him.

"You ever been sprayed by a skunk?" she asks, casting one of Kakashi's wincing summons a knowing look. "If you are, you have other problems than wondering about illusions, let me tell you."

"And then – _bam_!" Fudo wiggles his butt. "Insta-genjutsu. You look away, you're dead. We're good with all sorts of scent triggers. I got one word for you: pheromones."

"That's vicious," Hisana laughs, watching her teamleader edge away in amusement.

"We're also pretty good infiltrators," Ran adds proudly before casting Fudo a vaguely annoyed look. "If we can _keep it together_ for long enough." He makes a face at her. As the two skunks descend into squabbles Hisana turns towards Kakashi.

"What do you say to a match? No spraying, no Sharingan." They need to learn to work together – all of them. "If you're too scared, I'm sure Tenzo would." She bats her eyes at said man, watching in satisfaction how her teammate gamely gathers his things from the floor, ready to take Kakashi's place. It always gives her little thrill being able to command anyone at all – even if it's obviously thanks to that person's goodwill. Tenzo likes her, she knows that much. At the beginning mostly because Kakashi picked her, and their teamleader was probably the first person who ever meant anything at all to Tenzo. But they're … friends? Not quite, maybe; the age gap is too big for that. It's the same thing that puts a certain distance between her and Anko.

Maybe he feels that he has to look out for her. Hisana isn't sure, but he's good company anyway. Few people make her feel truly safe, even inside Konoha's impressive walls, but Kakashi and Tenzo are definitely two of them.

"Ok, if you insist," Kakashi says in faux cheer, planting a hand on her neck and squeezing just enough to make it uncomfortable. If she were one of his dogs, Hisana thinks, he'd be shaking her now.

"Now, now," Tenzo interjects, eyes fixed their teamleader's hand with mild humor. "Maybe Hisana-san and I against you would be a better idea. We don't want this to be over too quickly."

The two of them are fast. Despite being almost blind, it seems impossible to hide from the skunk siblings' noses and their excellent ears. And when Ran said they were good at genjutsu, she wasn't kidding. Right now the skunk lady is wrapped around Hisana's neck like a scarf and the only thing she can feel is her own body heat trapped under the heavy fur. Ran herself seems to weigh nothing, smell like nothing, and is completely invisible.

And then there's something just as interesting.

Hisana watches in fascination as Kakashi throws a kunai at Fudo, who flattens to the ground until he's nothing more than a black shadow crawling along the floor. He dodges weapon after weapon with quick, jerky movements before melting into the shade of a nearby tree like a ghost. Hisana and Tenzo circle their teamleader. Two of his ninken are out of commission, sprayed right in the face and passed out, but the rest are still in hiding. For all they know the pack could have them surrounded already, but more importantly, right now they have Kakashi surrounded. "You're giving up, old man?" she drawls, unable to help herself. It's so rare that they manage to corner him, even the two of them together.

"You're so cruel to your old teacher," he complains. "Have some respect." And then his hand shoots forward. Chaos ensures.

Ran unfurls from Hisana's neck, ready to jump into Kakashi's face like an angry cat, but he already has her by the tail. A squawk, a scream – and then skunk spray hits Hisana square in the face. There's a moment of profound silence in which she can only vaguely appreciate how Kakashi is wielding Ran like a machine gun before the smell really hits.

"Oh dear," her taichou muses good-naturedly, "that's quite the aroma."

* * *

The night before graduation Sasuke is watching her warily. Hisana isn't sure why; yes she's a bit apprehensive about what's to come, but when she said he'd have to fight her she didn't mean that quite so literally. It's not as if she'll ask Iruka-sensei to fail him tomorrow.

"What is it?" she finally demands, fed up with his strange behavior. Sasuke slowly interlaces his fingers; a nervous habit that makes him look like a stern professor.

"When I pass tomorrow, I'll be head of the clan," he says quietly and – Oh. That's pretty much the last thing she expected. Hisana nods, waiting for him to continue. "I … – what … do I do then?"

"Well, what do you want to do?"

Sasuke hesitates before throwing her a cautious look. In theory he'd get a seat in the council and he'd be able to officially command her as the only member of his clan. But Sasuke is twelve, so she suspects most of that will be pretty useless to him. He licks his lips nervously, fingers twitching on the arm of the couch.

"I think I want to sell the compound."

Hisana freezes. Oh … wow. For one single heartbeat she's sure that she can feel the gravity of the moment, the weight of her cousin's decision.

She loves the boy, she really does, but as much as she keeps clinging to the hope that he'll turn out better than canon Sasuke, it was always tinged with cynicism.

 _Of course_ something else will happen and then he'll leave Konoha anyway. She's fighting against _fate_ after all, all by herself. Maybe she can soften the impact of the blow, prepare Sasuke, prepare everyone, so that the rest will go more smoothly … but she's always assumed, with a certain sort of defeat, that he'll leave in the end.

Even thought Hisana wants nothing more than to see him as someone to rely on, a partner, Sasuke has always been a hurdle to overcome. But this, this is the first concrete sign that maybe things will turn out all right. Canon Sasuke would have never parted with the compound. He clung to everything Uchiha, wallowed in his hate and loneliness and convinced himself that the empty memories were all he had. _Her_ Sasuke however seems to have recognized the old district for what it is: A ball and chain that keeps him from moving on with his life.

She swallows thickly, fighting the urge to reach for his hand. "I think," she finally says, "that's a very good idea."

He smiles at her.

* * *

Sasuke is lucky enough that his class is schedules pretty early on Monday morning. Hisana is tired as all hell – Ibiki and ensemble of the weirdest chuunin in all of Konoha kept her busy almost the entire weekend – but she gets up to go with him anyway.

"You don't need to wait for me," he says for probably the fourth time. She isn't sure if he's embarrassed by her or if it's something else, but she's not budging.

"Forget it," Hisana yawns, thinking of poor Naruto who may or not may fail today. "I'm waiting right here for you." He scowls a little, but in the end the bell rings and Sasuke has to bow to her will. There's a gaggle of parents standing close by, doing the same thing as her, though in a much more embarrassing way. There's cheek pinching and cooing and Hisana thinks she just saw one of the mothers giving her son a clap on the butt. She hopes Sasuke saw that – it could always be worse.

From the door Sakura waves enthusiastically at her before turning to hurry Sasuke along. She waves back a bit more subdued, wondering if any of Sakura's parents came today. Somehow she hopes not; surely her father would at least congratulate the girl, but her mother might start a fight right here at the front steps. 'Are you finally done now? Can you go back to acting like a normal person now?' Haruno Sayuri's voice echoes in Hisana's head, snappish and condescending.

Naruto barrels into her, late but grinning like a loon.

"Nee-chan," he cries, "I'm gonna be a ninja today, dattebayo!" He hugs her around the hips so hard, it lifts Hisana off her feet a little. And then he's gone, not even waiting for any sort of answer.

A few of the parents watched their brief collision in astonishment. They're not whispering yet, but that might be because they haven't quite digested what just happened; Naruto is a whirlwind. Hisana fixes her eyes onto the most disgusted looking mother and stares her down. Once the woman breaks eye contact, averting her gaze to the floor with a frown, she moves on to the next one. After a while they seem to get the point – 'I can see you staring, I don't care'. She sincerely doubts that any of them are ninja themselves, though it's hard to tell with crowds.

They don't know who she is, Hisana realizes in amusement. It's … the first time in a pretty long while that this happens. Maybe they're wondering if her mother didn't teach her not to associate with the boy. Or maybe they were considering warning her off. Hisana sits down on one of the benches to wait, taking up more space than she normally would. It's something she learnt from watching Inuzuka Tsume. They pointedly ignore her.

It takes forty minutes before the first student comes busting through the door. It's a boy, enthusiastically waving his new Konoha hitai-ate around. He throws himself at his father, who bellows out a laugh. It's cute to watch and Hisana finds herself almost looking forward to seeing more of the new genin barreling into the school yard, but then the obnoxiousness starts. Not ten minutes after the boy and his parents left, hand in hand, that the first girl comes through the door. She poses dramatically with her headband and then all assembled mothers start squealing.

"Oh Fuki-chan!" the girl's mother cries, "you look so cute! I knew you could do it – you're such a clever girl."

Aha, Hisana thinks vaguely. She knows Fuki! So the girl did pass the graduation exam. Ami, too, passes, and is greeted with an equal amount of yelling and misplaced enthusiasm. She's not sure if these people really realize what they signed their children up for. Looking cute in a headband won't help them at all. Peace time probably gave them the wrong idea about ninja, Hisana muses. 'Peace spoils people.' The sentiment feels oddly like something Danzo would say and she shies away from it uncomfortably.

That doesn't make it any less true though.

Hyuuga Hinata garners no squeals when she emerges through the door. There are no Hyuuga present, just as there are no Yamanaka or Aburame here. Acing the graduation exam is sort of a foregone conclusion for them, so their parents patiently wait at home. The girl hurries past the gaggle of adults, disappearing around a corner without as much as a smile.

Sakura, too, gets no response, though probably more because her mother isn't part of the gathered women; Hisana sincerely doubts that Haruno Sayuri would want anything to do with mothers who think it's a good idea to send their daughters here. But Sakura ignores them, proudly lifting her hitai-ate for Hisana to see.

"I did it," she breathes incredulously. "I'm a ninja! I'm an _adult_." The last part sounds a little startled, as if she only just realized it.

"Yes," Hisana agrees with a smile. "well done. The way you trained I'm not surprised at all." Sakura beams at her and then ties the new headband into her hair.

"Looks cool?" she wonders, striking a pose.

"Looks great."

Sasuke is one of the last children to finish. When he steps out of the Academy there are only a few parents left and Hisana's butt has gone a little numb. A few of the mothers croon at him, but he resolutely ignores them, hitai-ate wrapped around his head as if it's always been there. Nothing to see, people.

"Can we go now?" he grouches, uncomfortable with all the attention.

"Naruto," she reminds him, pointedly not commenting on his success. If she touches him now while everyone is watching he'll get angry.

"Dobe," he sighs, as if the blonde is the root of all his troubles. Sasuke can't linger too long or someone will come to hurry him along. Hisana considers sending him ahead but hesitates. She doesn't want to make a big deal out his promotion, but just ignoring it and sending him home doesn't sit well with her either. But then the door opens one last time and Naruto steps out.


	6. Chapter 6

Phew – that one was hard work. I really only noticed now how much I forgot about the specifics of the manga. My annoying term paper is pretty much done, but another one is already waiting in line. Also, the first of my final exams are in February, so I'm getting really nervous. Writing is taking a serious backseat, but I'm giving it my all when I do have time.

 **On a happier note** : thank you so much for **100 reviews**! Wow – you guys are the best:D

As a thank you, as always, a little **extra** at the end.

* * *

Part of Hisana breathes a deep sigh of relief at his crestfallen expression – canon is still on track. Another part _hurts_ for him. Of course she knows that Naruto will be ok, but he doesn't. Sasuke, too, looks as if he's smelling something particularly unpleasant, watching his teammate stomp his way off the premise, head down and shoulders hunched.

When Naruto runs past them Hisana grips Sasuke's shoulder. "Leave him," she says quietly. "He'll need some time to calm down. We'll look for him tonight." Sasuke's face does something complicated, but then he shrugs.

"Fine. I don't care."

* * *

The day is filled with tension. Sasuke is frustrated, that much she can see. It's a nice surprise; of course Hisana already knew that he feels something for his team, but this reaction is much more radical than she dared to hope for. Her cousin barely suffered through more than a ruffle of his hair in congratulation before gathering his shuriken and heading out. It's cute that he's pouting, but it also makes him very aggravating to be around. Sasuke rarely expresses emotions freely, but when he does it tends towards the radical.

Hisana follows him quietly. The last thing she needs right now is for him to go looking for their wayward Uzumaki too early and interfering with Mizuki. But she can't very well lock her cousin up inside their apartment, no matter how appealing the thought sometimes.

But Sasuke is surprisingly patient – or at least knows how to channel his frustration properly. He leads them towards one of the outer training grounds, big and quiet, flanked by trees so tall and broad, the entire terrain is cast into perpetual shadow. Hisana crawls up one of the impressive trees and settles in for a long wait. It's not an unfamiliar scenario, but one she hasn't participated in for quite a while now. Nowadays Sasuke is usually quick to find her and call her down. Then again, Hisana isn't usually inclined to stay hidden all that well.

In mild interest she watches him practice his shuriken technique, eyes sliding half-shut leisurely. Eight hours until sundown.

It's not a pleasant task to lie in wait like this, spying on her only family, but a necessary one. Sasuke himself doesn't pose much of a risk. He generally keeps his promises, even if they irk him; her cousin has other ways to demonstrate his irritation than disobeying her. Sakura, however, is a factor that Hisana can't entirely calculate. There's a very real chance that she's already figured out what happened and wants to find their wayward teammate. And if she does, the girl would be more than able to talk Sasuke into complying. Hisana doesn't think she'd go off on her own though, so watching Sasuke means she'd be able to head off both of them if necessary.

But Sakura is either high off her own promotion or unwilling to believe Naruto could have failed after all. Even after sundown there's no trace of pink hair. Instead a different familiar chakra is hurrying into their direction: Genma.

Sasuke doesn't seem to have noticed the low-level pulses of chakra that the tokujou is giving off; the only sound from below is the _clink clink_ of Sasuke's shuriken as he gathers them off the floor.

Abandoning her cousin to his training Hisana flickers away from the tree. There's the disconcerting feeling of a vacuum sucking sound and color from around her, before they burst back life a few yards further south. And then another. And then another, before she's suddenly nose to nose with her former supervisor.

"Genma," she says, trying not to flinch away at the unexpected proximity. The other tokubetsu jounin slowly and exaggeratedly leans away from her, eyes alight with something akin to amusement despite the situation.

"Hisana," he acknowledges wryly. "We might have a problem."

* * *

It's baffling how a person as small and essentially harmless as Naruto can throw an entire village of ninja into chaos like this. Or maybe not the entire village. While there are certainly a worrying amount of shinobi hovering around the Sandaime and calling for the blonde's head, ANBU and jounin corps are noticeably absent. Hisana briefly wonders whether this is the Hokage's attempt to contain the disaster as much as possible. Of course the man has been knocked out by the sight of a pretty, naked woman rather than any sort of offensive jutsu, so it's pretty clear that this is not the Kyuubi's work.

But the council will have campaigned for some sort of manhunt, so keeping it to a hand full of chuunin was probably the best way to appease everyone. Iruka-sensei is fidgeting next to her, half hidden by the bulky form of an enraged Akimichi cousin, and Hisana muses that their leader is a very sly person indeed. The only people here likely to find Naruto are after all Iruka, Genma and she – none of them at all eager to harm the idiot boy.

Hisana has no intention of letting anyone find Naruto. She catches Genma's eye across from her, nodding imperceptibly towards a particularly blood thirsty group. Someone needs to keep them busy. The man makes a face but nods.

"It is essential that we find him fast," the Hokage impresses on them. "The techniques in this scroll are … unstable. He may accidently hurt someone –" The 'or himself' is lost in the roar of the crowd. The Hokage pinches the bridge of his nose, impatient and wary. "Just … go find him. Quickly."

"I think I know where he might be," Genma drawls, whacking one of the other men on the shoulder. "Just follow me and we'll have this done with before dinner's cold."

Not for the first time Hisana marvels about how people gravitate naturally towards her old supervisor. The other man, a complete stranger by the looks of it, gives Genma an eager grin and immediately everyone is in higher spirits, almost relaxed. Past the others Genma raises an eyebrow at her. Where to? If she remembers right he should be somewhere in the woods – the only parts accessible without leaving the village are the Forest of Death, which is heavily guarded, and the Nara Woods. Watching Mizuki creep north she flashes a quick 'south' at him, covertly watching Iruka watch them. For a moment his eyes flicker back and forth between Hisana and the departing Mizuki, before he follows his colleague.

"You … need back up?" one of the younger chuunin asks her, half-hopeful but eying the wakizashi strapped to Hisana's waist cautiously. She very slowly, very deliberately turns around to him.

"What?"

He fidgets. "Well, we should all go in teams. You never know, right? I don't look it, but I'm pretty good with ninjutsu." She blinks at him, unsure what to do with that sort of information. Is he … hitting on her? Right now, while on a man hunt? She raises her eyebrows at him incredulously and he blushes to the roots of his hair.

"No thanks." And just to discourage him from following her she adds, "I'm just circling the village to make sure he doesn't run away." A flicker of killing intent bleaches the red of his face into a sickly white. Oops, she thinks a bit regretfully. Overkill. A few paces away Genma snickers at her.

* * *

Following after Mizuki and Iruka at a more leisurely pace is easy. Mizuki managed to cover his scent, probably wary of any Inuzuka that could sniff out the stink of his nerves, but Iruka is trailing a potent mixture of adrenaline and cold sweat. Fear and anger – he must have made the connection already. That's … a little early. She lopes after him unhurriedly, chakra signature suppressed and out of sight. Honestly, Hisana has no idea what caliber of ninja Iruka and Mizuki actually are, but they're both caught up enough in their own heads that she doesn't worry about being detected.

With a muted sort of interest she watches Iruka-sensei henge into Naruto, preparing to head off Mizuki. So he's not confronting Naruto first. While slightly worrisome, not _necessarily_ a bad thing; if he manages to keep Mizuki away from Naruto entirely it would be better for the blonde's state of mind. She watches as he roughly rubs his hands down his face, preparing to face down his childhood friend and colleague. He's afraid, she realizes and it settles weirdly in her stomach. Maybe not used to field work anymore. Maybe too emotionally invested already. Hisana frowns – how strangely upsetting.

Iruka-sensei was always a strong, reassuring presence in the Academy. But watching him now, eyes darting around nervously and completely unaware that she's watching him, it hits Hisana that he must be only around Tenzo's age – barely into his twenties. Capable, yes, but also as vulnerable to emotional injury as every ninja who still managed to save a piece of their soul.

Mizuki streaks by her narrowly, jumping in front of Iruka-sensei with the air of a concerned guardian. "Naruto-kun," he sighs, "there you are! I've been looking all over for you – do you have the scroll?"

The scroll that 'Naruto' pulls out of his jacket is only a chakra construct, but made so perfectly that it may fool the man just long enough. "'Course I got it! I told you I'm a great ninja!" Iruka sends a convincingly mulish look at Mizuki and Hisana wonders at just how familiar he must be with the little blond ninja. "So what now? Did I pass?"

"Well," Mizuki drawls, "you certainly did a good a job. Why don't you give me that scroll and I check if you got the right one?"

After a moment of hesitation Iruka reaches out to hand over the scroll. The clanging of two kunai colliding is incredibly loud in the small clearing. Mizuki's face twists into something angry but confused, until Iruka's henge goes up in smoke. The blonde teacher sneers and spits at his feet.

"I should have known you wouldn't leave it well enough alone."

It feels wrong to just sit here and watch them beat the crap out of each other. They're ninja, of course, but they were also her teachers. Watching Iruka-sensei in any sort of combat makes her feel like watching someone kick kittens; despite his legendary temper he's not really the ferocious type. Mizuki on the other hand is driven by years and years of resentment and wounded pride. There's an unnecessary cruelty to his attacks – this isn't simply about incapacitating an enemy. This is personal too. But she can't _won't_ show herself yet. Hisana is playing damage control and there's nothing inherently wrong with what's happening yet.

It only takes only a few blows to Iruka's face for Mizuki to regain his head; now that some of his anger has dissolved in self-satisfaction his eyes are already darting around, probably looking for an escape route. Every moment he spends here is one moment more in which someone else could find Naruto.

Hisana's fingers twitch. To interfere or not to interfere? She doesn't want Naruto to be sad – she really doesn't. She doesn't want Iruka-sensei more hurt than he has to be. But she also needs Mizuki to find Naruto. He has to know about the Kyuubi. And just as importantly: Iruka needs to protect Naruto. Tonight their relationship would reach an important point, a mutual understanding that hasn't been there before. It would irrevocably turn Iruka into a touchstone, a much needed pillar of strength in Naruto's life. It would be an important development for Iruka too and Hisana couldn't take that from them.

Truthfully, the decision is already made, no matter how heavily it weighs on her. Hisana bites her thumb, and when she summons Ran it's perfectly silent and with so little smoke that it easily dissipates unseen into the dark.

"I need you to separate them without either of them noticing. Let blondie make a smooth getaway."

The skunk only quirks her head at Hisana but then shrugs in acquiescence. In the dark cover of the trees the moonlight is dimmed enough for Ran to simply melt into the floor like a shadow. She darts between the shinobi, winding around Iruka's legs like a cat. For a few moments she simply follows him harmlessly, but when Mizuki lands a blow against the other man's sternum she comes to an abrupt stop behind his feet. Iruka trips. For a moment a confused expression comes over his face before his eyes go a little glassy. The genjutsu that Ran weaves over the agitated opponents is deceptively subtle; just enough to keep them from questioning why Iruka fell so hard. Why he's heaving so hard that he can't get up.

It only takes a second for Mizuki to recognize his chance and then he runs for it.

For a few long, tense heartbeats Iruka-sensei is lying on the ground, chest heaving and eyes darting around as if he instinctually knows that something strange is going on. But Ran has long since slunk back through the undergrowth and curled up around Hisana's neck like an expensive fur shawl. "That good?" she murmurs slyly, smugly accepting a few scritches below her chin. "I'm good," she decides.

"The best," Hisana flatters. "Stay with him and make sure he doesn't get himself killed. But stay out of sight. I'll go after the other one."

* * *

Following Mizuki-sensei is child's play. Is sweat and increasing panic are a beacon for every tracker; Hisana strongly suspects he's lost his head a little. Or maybe Ran's genjutsu messed with his head a little harder than anticipated. Any ninja worth their salt would have taken the chance and finished Iruka-sensei, so that he wouldn't go blab while Mizuki caught up with Naruto – honestly, she'd been ready to intercept a killing blow. Or at least to make enough noise to scare him off. But the thought didn't even seem to occur to him. And now he's forgotten or abandoned the idea of keeping a low profile.

Not used to field work, she thinks for the second time that night. She keeps forgetting that Academy instructors are not necessarily the cream of the crop in the first place; add a few years off the roster and you have a nervous mess of a ninja. They both stop in front of a small clearing where Naruto's blonde head glows in the moonlight. He's so absorbed in the scroll, his chakra is all over the place. It's a miracle nobody else has found him yet. Mizuki runs his hands over his face, straightens his uniform and tries to compose his face. Only then he drops down to the forest floor.

"Naruto-kun, I've been looking for you all over!"

* * *

EXTRA I Shikano (Introspective)

Since romance has been requested and the story doesn't really have much space for it yet, I decided to do little non-canon tasters of what Hisana could possibly see in any of them. To test out the chemistry. First one up, because I find him amusing, Nara Shikano. And as an apology for being a lazy-ass, Neji.

He's not exactly handsome.

It vexes her a little; she herself finally has a pretty face – why is it someone like Shikano who interests her most? What a waste, she thinks a bit wryly. But it's only a superficial thought. One taken with a pinch of humor and then easily forgotten.

He's just so interesting. It doesn't matter that his features are too harsh to be really good-looking; that his eyes are flinty and beady; that his humor is hard and cutting. She likes that. She likes that he's like a stone wall that no one can put a scratch on. His attention is something she wants and fears in equal parts. The way he looks at her is as if she's the most interesting thing in the world. It's exhilarating and even … flattering. There's not much that can hold his attention after all.

She's not the only one who's noticed it though. Kiba, of all people, seems to have scented a rival. It's silly of course. She likes the boy, but he's … well.

Shikano has acknowledged the Inuzuka's existence in the same way he might acknowledge a bug – just enough to occasionally swat at him. Not a threat, just annoying. He must be aware that comparing them would be ridiculous. Kiba is in every sense of the word a _boy_. He's loud and brash and cheerful. There is a six-year difference between them and it shows.

* * *

EXTRA II (Setting)

It's the Hyuuga-charm, she thinks flatly. The blatant capacity for good manners coupled with a complete disregard for them in the face of the undeserving rabble. 'Holier-than-thou'-attitude Tenten calls it. Hisana hates it as much as she loves it when it's directed at someone deserving. Someone _else_.

He stares at her, rudely, eyes glowing dimly under the street light. Maybe he thinks if he stares long enough he'll be able to peel her apart like a tangerine, strip off the bitter skin and expose what's inside. But Hisana takes far too much pleasure in denying him everything that he wants.

Eventually he'll give in, turn away as if she isn't worth his time anyway and it'll taste of sweet victory. One of these days, she thinks, he'll say something. Talk to her, snap, do something that will give her an opening to peel off _his_ tough exterior. It may be her first step closer to the person he will eventually become. She cocks an eyebrow at him challengingly. The Byakugan make her feel like she's being examined under a microscope and it send involuntary shivers down her spine. Any moment now, she thinks. But instead of turning away, he takes a step closer.

* * *

Yes, I do lie awake at night sometimes, randomly thinking this stuff up:D

They're both pretty different in tone, I guess. Thoughts?


	7. Chapter 7

Tadaa – next one. Didn't take _too_ long this time, but I still haven't quite gotten my groove back.

* * *

The scene feels like déjà-vu.

In numb fascination Hisana watches Naruto's face twist up into the same hopeful expression that his teacher wore not half an hour ago. She flattens herself against a thick branch, eyes fixed on the ninja below. Nerves make her breath come heavy and she muffles it against the crook of her cold elbow. Come on, Iruka-sensei, she thinks as Naruto trustingly walks towards his former teacher. He looks so happy, so convinced that an adult he trusts couldn't possibly lead him astray. It hurts to know that his face will fall in realization soon enough. Hisana really wishes the night could be over already.

Ran quietly creeps up her back, blunt claws digging into her back. It's the only warning Hisana gets before Iruka-sensei crashes into the clearing. His chakra signature is completely suppressed now, and his face is so livid that she can only imagine what it would be like otherwise. _Acid_ , she thinks, not quite able to believe that he could be capable of such a thing, despite his livid expression. He crashes into Mizuki without a warning, and Naruto's resulting squawk of surprise is loud enough to startle a few birds into flight.

"Iruka-sensei!" he cries in confusion, scroll still clutched tightly, as if afraid someone might snatch the ticket to his promotion right out of his hands. "What are you doing, is this still a test?"

"Noisy," Ran scoffs quietly, sharp little teeth scraping against Hisana's neck as the summon yawns.

"Naruto! Run, this isn't a test –" Mizuki's elbow viciously catches Iruka-sensei across the face. The boy recoils from the scene, before taking an instinctual step forward. He wants to help, Hisana thinks unhappily. Even though he has no idea what is even going on. Mizuki's control seems to have snapped entirely at this point. He rips his arm out of Iruka-sensei's grip and throws a kunai at the jinchuuriki that only barely misses.

"Monster," he jeers, eyes alight with the desire to hurt, to inflict pain on those he thinks wronged him. It's disconcerting to watch. Mizuki-sensei has never been the most genial person; he was a harsh teacher who picked favorites easily and had no trouble squashing undesirable behavior with questionable methods. But he was still a teacher. There were still students who looked up to him. He still _cared about some of them_ , Hisana is sure of that. But this man, half pinned under Iruka-sensei, his friend, is a wild, hateful creature. She wonders what made him lose composure so dramatically. Was it the hopelessness of the situation? The fact that this time around, Iruka-sensei had somehow found him first and destroyed every chance he had to return a hero? The vitriol that spills from his mouth turns Naruto's face pale.

"Iruka is the same! He also hates you!"

Heartbreak is not something she ever wants to see on Naruto's face again.

This needs to end quickly. Hisana isn't sure how long Genma can keep the other idiots busy and right now Mizuki's sadistic streak is keeping things from progressing. After a moment of hesitance Hisana drops from the tree with a loud thud. For a moment both adults freeze – and Naruto bolts like a frightened deer. The struggle starts anew as Iruka-sensei calls out to whoever just found them and Mizuki fights free with renewed vigor. Only after he manages to claw his way out of Iruka-sensei's chokehold to take off after Naruto, Hisana steps out of the shadows.

"Hisana-chan - …"

There's relief in Iruka-sensei's eyes, but she doesn't move to help him.

"He was your friend, right?" she wonders aloud, voice mild but pointed. Iruka-sensei flinches. She throws him a bottle of Nara-issue soldier pills, watching patiently as he fumbles to catch it.

"Take care of this," she tells him, tense fingers hooking into her neck guard to keep busy. "Because if I do it, I'll kill him." The bottle still clutched tightly, he looks as at her as if he's never seen her before. How surreal it must be, Hisana thinks, to hear your student talk like this about your colleague. Mizuki was Hisana's teacher too. But then he nods jerkily, struggles to his feet and starts running.

* * *

The next scene she walks in on is the aftermath of Naruto's kage bushin. Trees have been uprooted, grass trampled, and in the middle of it all two figures sit huddled together. The blonde's face is turned into Iruka-sensei's chest, small hands clutching at his chuunin vest as he rides out what seems to be a small panic attack. Above Naruto's head their eyes meet and Hisana nods at him carefully. Then she takes hold of Mizuki's collar and unceremoniously hoists him over her shoulder with a quiet grunt. Fatass, she thinks uncharitably, pumps chakra into her legs and leaves them to it. Those two need a few moments alone and she needs to go home and repress the memory this whole horrifying night.

* * *

Genma's group of chuunin has already returned. They look a bit sullen, but not as angry as she would have expected. Two of them are already trying to convince the Hokage that they should keep looking after all, even while Sarutobi is trying to assure them that it's _really not necessary_. There's a look of tried patience on his face, very much like an exasperated parent's. Feeling viciously satisfied with the world in general Hisana dumps Mizuki at his feet, not even trying to be graceful about it. The beaten teacher hits the floor with a loud 'thud', head painfully colliding with the ground. The other ninja turn around to stare at them.

"Ah," Sarutobi says, relieved but also a bit put out at the rough treatment of her treasonous fellow ninja, "Hisana-san. So things are taken care of then?"

"Yes," she confirms grimly, glaring at Mizuki's prone form. "Almost. Uzumaki Naruto has been secured. Iruka-sensei is mildly injured. _This_ is the responsible party."

The Hokage sighs. "Very well. It looks like we can all go home now." He throws a meaningful look at the gathered ninja, who have the good grace to duck their heads in embarrassment. "Mizuki-sensei … how very regrettable. Ibiki-kun, if you would."

Morino Ibiki steps out of the Hokage Tower, black coat swishing dramatically behind him, to grab Mizuki's prone form by the scruff and hoist him up like a ragdoll. And then, from behind the big ninja's back Shizuha darts out to slap chakra restraints on their former teacher's wrists. She takes one look at Hisana's face and then at bruised and black-eyed Mizuki before flashing the Uchiha a very deliberate, very serious looking double thumbs up. For the first time that night Hisana has to smile.

* * *

The Hokage's office is only dimly lit, casting their leader's face into half shadow. Hisana suspects it's specifically set up that way to create atmosphere, so the normally fearsome picture only makes her feel vaguely amused. The Sandaime is a good man. Ruthless in some instances, yes, but not unnecessarily cruel and very protective of his charges. The entirety of the Uchiha clan – all pathetic three of them – are definitely among them. Naruto is too. And so she's reasonably sure that this meeting won't be an unpleasant one.

"Now," the Hokage starts, igniting his pipe, "Iruka-sensei has informed me that you found him and Mizuki-sensei in the woods during their confrontation."

She nods, unconcerned. "Yes, Hokage-sama. I encountered them in the middle of a struggle. My arrival scared Naruto off and unfortunately enabled Mizuki-sensei's flight."

"'Arrival'?" he muses, eyes sliding over to his crystal ball. Ah, of course. Hisana allows herself a grim smile.

"I deemed it appropriate to leave the fight to Iruka-sensei. There appeared to be a … personal element to it. I would have interfered if necessary."

There's a long silence in which the old man merely looks at her, maybe testing if she'll crack under the pressure, but then he nods.

"Indeed," he agrees. "I'm afraid there is always a personal element to traitorous actions. You have been made aware of Naruto's status?" The expectant look makes it clear that this isn't a question. Again, she nods. "What do you think?"

"I think," she tries carefully, "that the fox hat more than enough time to cause damage if he were so inclined. But in all the time I've known him … Naruto has spent his time playing pranks and trying to make friends. The way people treat him _hurts_ him. There's no way the fox would act that way. Not when he had so many opportunities for revenge already. It's been _twelve years_."

Rings of smoke rise from the Hokage's pipe and she watches them disperse into the warm air. "Good," he decides. "Very good." He pulls a stack of papers out of his desk, shuffling them for an unnecessarily long time. "When Naruto-kun failed his exams, it was not entirely unexpected. Nevertheless I had to rearrange the teams a little, which has not been beneficial for many of them. Now, in the light of this very recent development – "here his wrinkly mouth curls into a smile – "I will have to rearrange them once more. Has Hatake Kakashi informed you that he will be leading your cousin's genin team?"

Hisana huffs out a laugh. "No. It's not entirely unexpected though." The Sandaime makes an amused noise in turn.

"Kakashi-kun likes to play his cards close to his vest, even if there is really no need to. In any case, Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun will be placed onto his team. I am sure you already have an idea which kunoichi has been deemed most appropriate for the last slot." There's no accusation in his voice and she's glad. Bringing team 7 together was pretty manipulative of her, but there are different types of manipulation and apparently a ninja village can appreciate the benign kind she likes to dish out. She still has to resist the urge to shuffle sheepishly.

"Naruto-kun speaks highly of you and your cousin," he continues, outwardly unaware of her embarrassment. "I need to be sure that his trust in you is not unfounded. He is, as of yet, unaware that you know about the Kyuubi and there is a chance that he will tell you of his own volition. I advise extreme caution. He is an impressionable, vulnerable boy who has been hurt too often already." Now there definitely is a warning in his voice and Hisana salutes without conscious thought.

"Yes, Hokage-sama!"

* * *

Coming home is a relief.

Now that the adrenaline has left her system, sleep suddenly seems incredibly tempting. Still, despite her eyes sliding shut every few minutes she leans a careful ear against the front door of her apartment door, trying to discern if Sasuke is already asleep. He isn't. In fact, as soon as her ear even touches the wood she can hear him darting to the door; he rips it open so fast that she very nearly topples inside.

Sasuke's face is a silent mask of 'TELL ME', eyes wide and intense as if he could pick the words right out of her brain if he just looked hard enough. "Impatient," she rebukes, a little pleased when his cheeks flush with embarrassment. Can't show too much human emotion, now can we? It's interesting to see how her little cousin has matured and grown; a few years prior he would have started sulking now. 'I didn't want to know anyway.'

But now his back straightens and he primly reaches for her vest and gear instead of trying to defend himself. It looks like exceedingly good manners from the outside, but it's more as if he thinks stripping Hisana of her official capacity would hurry things along. "Yes, yes," she murmurs mindlessly, handing over her sword without protest and kicking off her shoes. "Leave me alone. Sit down, it's not that big of a deal." But Sasuke merely herds her towards the couch, deaf to all protests.

"Naruto got into a bit of trouble," she's finally forced to confess. "It wasn't his fault and it's handled now." Sasuke's expression curdles anyway.

"Dobe," he presses out and it sounds like a curse word.

"The good news," she hurries to add, "is that he got a promotion out of it. Who knows, maybe he'll end up on your team after all."

* * *

The next day Sasuke leaves the house in a mood of quiet optimism.

Today the teams will be decided and he wants to get started with training already. Hisana, who knows that he'll have to be patient for quite a bit longer, sends him off with a smile and then goes to hunt down her asshole of a team leader.

Unsurprisingly Kakashi is hiding out at the memorial stone not far from the Academy. He looks very solemn like this, the very picture of a capable ninja. The illusion irks her for some reason. Hisana kicks a stone at him that rolls to a lazy stop not far from his foot.

"Sooo …" she drawls, carefully watching his shoulders twitch in annoyance, "I hear you'll be holding the end of Sasuke's leash for a while." _Why the hell didn't you say anything?_ , she doesn't say. The fact that she already knew does nothing to temper her irritation with him.

"It would seem that way," he returns mildly, refusing to turn around for a few long moments. Then suddenly his finger wags in her face chidingly. "As I thought you'd have figured out before today."

Hisana grits her teeth, swatting at the offending digit and missing by a mile.

"You should have told me anyway."

He cocks his head as if to contemplate this before shrugging his shoulders lackadaisically.

"Why should I have? It has nothing to do with you."

For a moment she can only stare at him in disbelief. Is he for real? This is her cousin, her only family – and he was her teacher once, too. This has everything to do with her. But Kakashi only pats her head somewhat condescendingly, digging his fingers into Hisana's hair and bending down a little so that he can be at eye level with her. To her surprise his eye crinkles at her benignly, even the air he projects is still somewhat annoyed. "My work with your cousin and my work with you have absolutely nothing to do with each other." For a moment she tries to work out what exactly he's trying to tell her but comes up empty. "Now," he adds wryly, "if you could trust me to keep your Sasuke-kun out of trouble, it would be much appreciated."


	8. Chapter 8

Oh sheesh, I didn't mean to take so long.  
You know I love you guys, right? I'm always glad to look into my inbox and find new reviews and favorites, even though I'm a lazy asshole and haven't updated like I should.  
There's no better motivator than a guilty conscience.

 **About Kakashi's strange remark** : I wrote a bit in a note below.

 **frailityofgenius** : thank you so much for the offer – I always want criticism! It's always such a hard thing to come by. If there's anything in particular that you can find/found I'd be happy if you would shoot me a PM:)

I apologize if this chapter seems a bit off; it seems I have to re-learn writing in this verse after my break:D

* * *

Team 7 is miserable.

After the initial euphoria of graduation passed, the bitter reality of D-rank missions upon D-rank missions has slowly started to sink in. 'Playing ninja' Sasuke called it resentfully, scrubbing away dirt from under his fingernails. Nowadays it's not unusual to come across the lot of them moping, cursing their lazy, inept teacher … who they still haven't figured out Hisana _knows_. It's a source of endless joy to her that makes their constant whining very nearly bearable.

"I can't believe he's a jounin," Sakura repeats for the fifth time today, fingers twitching as if she's imagining them wrapped around Kakashi's scrawny neck. Up until know her team leader has always skillfully avoided team 7, catching Hisana when she's alone and slinking off exactly when one of them turns around the corner. It's a succession of beautifully executed near misses that she can't help but admire a bit. In the past years she herself has only ever referred to him as 'Shishou', 'Taichou' or, occasionally, 'that idiot' in their presence, vaguely aware that introducing them before graduation may not be the best idea. Now she's absurdly glad for it for reasons that have nothing to do with preserving the storyline.

"Easy," she calms the girl, offering the last of her dango and watching in pleasure as Sakura savagely tears into them. "Most jounin are a bit eccentric. I can promise you, laziness isn't the worst you could get saddled with."

Sakura makes a noncommittal noise that could mean anything from 'you're right' to 'fuck off'. "I don't think he's … incompetent. Or something. But he's super annoying – I don't get how this is training. Is he making fun of us?" Probably. Kakashi's approach to teaching is that humiliation makes lessons stick better. He's not wrong. But it's painful while you're the one suffering. At least, Hisana thinks wryly, Sakura isn't alone in her misery.

While Sasuke tries to bear training more or less stoically, Naruto is very close to losing his patience. Wave isn't too long off anymore. The thought fills her with a little less dread than before, but the realization, about two weeks ago, still settled like a stone into her stomach.

Every day now she expects Sasuke to announce that they're leaving, pack already in hand and rearing to go. Hiding her nerves is a bit more difficult now that she's surrounded by experienced ninja rather than self-absorbed Academy children, even if she herself has gotten better at suppressing her emotions. Shiki is already watching her with worried eyes, and two days ago Tenzo commented on how little she's eating. At this point she almost wants it to happen already, just so that it can finally be over.

"Well," Hisana suggests after some thought, "if you're not happy with what you're learning, maybe you can tell him what you want instead. He's your teacher, he's supposed to listen to you." Also, Kakashi-taichou appreciates this sort of drive. Maybe even enough to stop picking on them.

* * *

Ironically, the day that Sasuke comes home, excitement written all over his face, Hisana doesn't even have the time to worry. She's holding her own pack in hand, Anko and Inuzuka Hana already waiting impatiently for her outside, ready to head towards training ground 44.

"Wave country," he informs her, savagely pleased to have an important mission for the first time. "We'll be gone for two weeks."

There's a moment of wild panic in which she very nearly reaches for him. But Sasuke still isn't too good with touching and the very last thing she wants is to worry him. So instead Hisana hip checks him on her way to the door, hard enough to make him stumble a few paces. "Don't die, idiot."

His snort follows her out of the room; the last thing she hears before closing the door is his disgruntled, "Who does she think I am?"

"Distract me," she demands from the other women, not even pretending that Hana's chakra enhanced ears weren't all but pressed against her front door.

"No problem," the Inuzuka replies flatly. "There's so much work to do, he'll come back from three missions to Wave and you won't even notice."

One can only hope.

* * *

It's true that the work is pretty grueling. After forcing Ibiki and half the Chunin Exam committee into submission, the tokubetsu jounin vengefully put Anko in charge of the Forest of Death. It's a thankless task involving finicky, old surveillance equipment, giant tigers, traps in places that would be tricky enough without, as well as _giant fucking tigers_. "I hate you both," Hana states flatly upending her shoes and letting what seems to be half a swamp splatter at Anko's feet. A few paces away one of the younger – naïve – chuunin she charmed into helping does the same, face tired and disillusioned. "If I'd known you'd drag me into this, I'd have voted you down so fast your heads would spin."

A giant, yellowed tooth comes away from her leg with an unpleasant sucking noise; the matching tiger carcass has by now sunk to the bottom of the swamp. Anko snickers. "Don't act as if you don't get off on it. Your clan is full of adrenaline junkies."

"But not me! Why did you think I became a vet? Not for the thrills of castrations and emptying anal glands, I assure you." The swampy chuunin makes a squeaky noise, and Hisana can see the last of his crush on Hana die a swift death.

"You do realize we're wasting daylight?" Hisana interjects delicately, lifting another wooden crate into her arms. "I don't know about you, but I have absolutely no desire to find out what else crawls around in here after sundown."

Anko's face does something complicated; Hana's freezes awkwardly in realization. The muddy chuunin abruptly jerks the crate out of her arms and sets to work with renewed vigor. "See?" she tells the women as he stalks off, "He's smart."

They do end up staying the night. And the next. It's an experience Hisana carefully puts into a box and shoves into the deepest recesses of her memory.  
But despite the unpleasantness of the forest itself and Anko's steadily deteriorating mood, she's grateful. Because as soon as the constant chorus of **DANGER! DANGER!** in her head falls silent, Hisana's thoughts turn back to team 7. Three days – have they already encountered Zabuza? They must have. Half of her wishes she could have accompanied them – actually, she's _still_ itching to just take a leave of absence and follow them. But this is, once again, an important point in the timeline that she can't risk botching. Sasuke needs to awaken his Sharingan – sooner or later – and what better place than under taichou's watchful eyes? He will need it for the exam, for Gaara, and, as much as she still dislikes it, he needs to enter the damn exam in the first place. If they don't impress Kakashi, team 7 will have to park their collective butts on a couch while Konoha is overrun by Sound.

Also, the fight against Haku will have a powerful impact on both Sasuke and Naruto. Powerful enough, that in the original manga it forged a bond between them that neither Orochimaru, nor Itachi, or even Sasuke himself could sever completely. Hisana thinks they could probably work without it now, held together by happy childhood memories and a solid friendship, but does she really want to pass up the opportunity? The answer is an emphatic 'no'.

Of course she completely forgot that Kakashi now had a tool to utilize that he didn't have the last time around. Her.

Or maybe that's not quite right. While definitely taichou's tool first and foremost, it's not really him how does the wielding this time.

At almost two at night a sharp knock on the bedroom window finds Hisana already awake. There's no chakra signature that would have woken her, but the familiar scent of petrichor and sword oil announce Tenzo's arrival clearly enough. Without Sasuke sleeping in the room a slow, creeping paranoia has gripped hold of Hisana; sleeping in such a state of hypervigilance is … difficult. For a moment they stare at each other through the glass, Tenzo's eyes zeroing in on the bruises beneath her eyes, before she opens the window to let him slip in.

He visibly restrains himself from commenting on her appearance and instead shoves a ragged piece of paper into her hands.

"I got this from taicho," he says, sounding vaguely unhappy. "I'd go, but I _can't_." His tone makes it clear that it's official business, and Hisana doesn't even bother to ask about it.

'Assistance appreciated; ran into a bit of trouble. Don't tell Hisapi.'

It's written in chicken scratch that far surpasses Kakashi's usual messy scrawl – the result of chakra exhaustion – and is followed by a string of coordinates that Hisana knows correspond to a tiny village in Wave, right in the middle of nowhere. A number of questions fight to topple off her tongue; what comes out instead is, "What does he mean, 'Don't tell Hisapi'?"

Tenzo gives an uncharacteristic little wriggle that makes him look boyish and a little helpless.

"After he told you not to worry about Sasuke-kun he can't really ask you for help, can he? You'd never trust him with your cousin again. But I really can't leave. And I thought … if taichou asks for help in the first place …" – it would be because it's pretty serious.

Hisana has no doubt that, if it weren't for team 7, Kakashi could juggle Zabuza and Haku by himself without problem. But team 7 _is_ there, and an opponent like the S-rank missing-nin can't be defeated on the defensive.

"So what now? I just … leave?" One hand already reaches for the windowsill, her body ready to run before her head has really processed the situation. She _can't_ go. She **has to** go. Tenzo grabs her by the shoulders and steers her towards the bed, as if already scenting danger.

"First you will pack your bags," he says slowly, as if speaking with a particularly dumb child, "and then you'll take a leave of absence at the Hokage Tower. Taichou is currently your direct superior and only commanding officer. As long as you're not needed anywhere else in the village you can leave and follow him."

Hisana nods, only passively listening. Her mind is already occupied with the things she needs to pack, the ways she can speed up her travel; if she leaves tonight, will she arrive before Zabuza? Does she want to arrive before Zabuza?

"Listen," Tenzo rips her from her thoughts, "You need to calm down or you're going to faint. It's taichou, it'll be fine. You're not the emergency reinforcement, you're the clean up. You get there, clean up the mess, and carry everyone home who can't walk."

 _That's right_ , she thinks faintly, trying to force down the panic, _I'm not the hero. I'm the clean up_. Though not really. A week, or two – how much longer did team 7 stay in Wave because of the bridge? How long before Zabuza recovers and returns to finish the job?

Hisana has no idea. How could she be just the clean up and risk coming too late? Tenzo is right; it's taichou, they'll be fine. Just like they were in the manga when no one answered his call for help. But how can she look into taichou's eyes and say 'I did my best', 'I came for you', knowing full well that it's a lie? She can't. As much as she hates it, because it complicates _everything_ , it's not only about preserving the time line anymore. This is her life, her decisions, her karma.

Naruto and Mizuki were easy. It hurt, yes, but it was simple to rationalize; something good came out of it and no one got permanently or seriously hurt. But this is different. It'll scar both Naruto and Sasuke for life. On some level she knows it'll frighten taichou. And who knows how Sakura will react this time around?

Hisana bites down on her thumb nail, trying to come to a speedy decision. Fuck this.

* * *

At almost three in the morning, yet another ninja is woken. This time not by a knock at the door, but by the scratch of dull claws against wooden floors. Hyuuga Kohaku's Byakugan activate without a whisper of chakra, scanning the surrounding compound for intruders, his breathing still even and inconspicuous. An irregularity emerges in the shadows below his desk; a glint of eyes where there should be none. "Good morning, sunshine," Fudo drawls, wet black nose wriggling in the moonlight. "You got a minute?"

Her former sensei is as close to pissed off as Hisana has seen him since she passed the Chuunin Exams, but with growing familiarity his glower has lost a lot of its menace to her.

"I'll owe you," she impresses on him, while he adjusts his yukata against the chilly air.

"' _Owe me_ '," he grits out. "It has been nearly sixty hours since I slept last, and I need to be at the Hokage Tower early in the morning."

Whining won't help, Hisana knows; it'll only annoy him more. So she grits her teeth and stands her ground. Favors count a lot around here, especially from clans people. She has no doubt that she'll be working her ass off to pay for this. Finally his lips thin in vexation. Victory.

Kohaku-senpai's Kuchiyose no Jutsu produces no smoke and makes no sound. Instead a ghostly figure emerges from the ground like a blooming flower. The great crane towers over both of them. Its legs and neck are spindly but its wings are strong and broad. It stares her down, the look in its eyes eerily similar to that of its master. A put-upon sigh – "So, so," Kanon muses, her feathers quivering in agitation, "we are in trouble again, aren't we?" Her long beak passes by Hisana's cheek, briefly tugging at her hair, bringing her big, yellow eye up to Hisana's face. It blinks.

"It's not my fault this time," the Uchiha insists with as much dignity as she can muster at three in the morning, with her hair askew and clothes disheveled. Kanon clicks in disapproval and sheer disbelief. Kohaku-senpai clears his throat. "The coordinates," he reminds her and Hisana jerks the paper out of her pocket.

"It's in Wave," she says, smoothing out the crinkles and holding it up for Kanon to see.

"Yes," the bird says flatly. "I can see that. How quickly will we need to travel?"

"Uhh … – how about 'as quickly as possible' …?"

* * *

It seemed like such a good idea at the time. Hisana leans against the giant bird as her insides seem to flop around in her. She dry heaves, stomach already empty of everything but acid.

Kanon sighs. "Come now. Only two more hours and we will take another rest."

Hisana nods faintly, wiping her mouth with a ragged tissue and gripping the white feathers determinedly. "Sorry," she mumbles. "Let's try again."

* * *

I hope all of you had happy holidays :)

 **About Kakashi** :  
I was really surprised that you all seemed so bewildered by his remark in the last chapter. You seem to forget that neither Hisana nor Kakashi – for all their brains – are reliable narrators. Just imagine: Hisana came to him, huffy, to berate him about not telling her about team 7. From Kakashi's perspective there could be two reasons for that : 1) She worries about Sasuke, and 2) she's jealous of his new team.  
He was telling her that he can watch out for her cousin and that Sasuke isn't going to replace her. Of course they were both talking about different things so his remarks mostly went over Hisana's head.


	9. Chapter 9

Next chapter! Happy New Year, y'all:)

* * *

Traveling by summons is, apart from Hisana's newfound airsickness, incredibly practical. Not only is Kanon very fast – three days worth of travel are compressed into one – but they also avoid all sorts of encounters with whatever of Gato's filth is trawling the countryside. Sometimes she can sense them from above, their chakra signatures brushing by the genjutsu barrier that she erected around the giant bird, and Hisana thanks all gods who will listen that she doesn't have to engage any of them. They're not necessarily dangerous but, after taichou obviously disabled Zabuza, there are _many_. No doubt they anticipated reinforcements. But Kanon glides away far above all of them, silent as anything.

She's an incredibly useful summon, Hisana thinks not without envy. Ran and Fudo have grown on her, but they're more suited for infiltration and subterfuge; skills worthy of an Uchiha, she thinks cynically. They're quite a bit less useful in open combat and absolutely ineffective in speedy pursuit hunts. Sometimes she really wishes she had asked taichou to sign his contract.

But then again – Kakashi and she aren't all that similar. Hisana _prefers_ sly Ran and canny Fudo over a slavishly devoted pack. _Prefers_ sneaking, ending the fight before it really starts. 'Cowardly' as a chuunin had accused her in the Forest of Death; 'sensible' Hana insisted before kicking him into one of the giant mammoth trees.

Sasuke is the flashy one of them, just as he's supposed to be. He'll be the head of clan and undoubtedly eventually the stronger one. People will respect or even fear him. Hisana is just his cousin; the less preferable, collateral heir. And one day it'll pay off to be dismissed like this. No, the skunks suit her fine. And yet … something practical wouldn't go amiss.

Kanon starts an even, shallow descent but Hisana's stomach still does somersaults. She presses her face into the soft feathers, closes her eyes and thinks of England.

"I can see the village ahead," the crane informs her. "But is all open terrain on the island. It will be best if I land in the forest; you will have to walk the rest."

"If you think so," she grunts, willing to trust the summon on this. The cranes are just as proficient and trustworthy as their master; Hisana has no doubt that Kanon's judgment is sound. But … – "I am too big navigate the woods. Prepare for a rough landing."

They crash through the tree tops. Kanon's wings, hard as iron, cut through the boughs and startle a murder of crows into flight. The noise is deafening. A particularly vicious piece of wood grazes by Hisana's neck, leaving not a single scratch on the tough material of her guard, but a painful bruise on the skin below.

"Apologies," Kanon drones, "Apologies." And then they fall into a sharp dive. There are no more branches, but instead a splash of ice cold water as they clumsily hit a lake and stutter to a halt. Hisana shivers, face moist with nervous sweat and soles gracing the brackish pond water. Kanon shakes herself vigorously. "What an adventure," she declares, "Let us not do this again."

* * *

They part ways right there. The great crane summon warns her to be careful and to remember that nobody is allowed to kill a Konoha ninja in the woods – Wave country or no Wave country.  
Watching her ghostly silhouette disappear, Hisana tries to gather her wits. Her legs are still a bit shaky and her heart beat slows only in increments. She needs to go north now, about four hours through the woods, if she judged the distance correctly. After that she should be able to cross the river in a matter of minutes. By then she'll have come into range of Kakashi-taichou's nose. All in all … ETA 255 minutes. Thank god for small mercies.

* * *

The village is completely hidden in thick fog, the moonlight casting eerie shadows on it. While sure to at least disorient normal ninja, the high humidity only enhances a tracker's nose. The scent of people and old fish is nearly stifling, and it guides Hisana like a beacon. She crawls out of the water, watchful of any familiar chakra signatures, casting a weak genjutsu on herself. Nobody is around – neither to stop nor to collect her. Not even the villagers seem awake. It's not that late yet; maybe nine or ten pm.

A curfew maybe? A few streets over she recognizes team 7's chakra signatures humming away. So obvious, she thinks fondly. They're really too young for this mission. Next to them taichou's chakra flickers like a weak candle. She shivers. It feels … unhealthy. Weak. Not like him at all.

Finding the correct house and window is child's play. Hisana drops the genjutsu. Everything feels strangely anticlimactic; it's so quiet that it feels almost peaceful. Only the stench of decay and musk – old food and unwashed people – disturbs the calm picture. In the light of day it might look different, Hisana muses, but the moonlight hides a lot of imperfections. A rusted pipe, a haphazardly repaired window; all of it looks less severe in the dark.

The windows of Tsunami's house are unsecured. She pads her way up to the upper floor and opens the one to Kakashi's room quietly, aware of her team leader's tired eye on her.

"Tenzo was busy," she informs him, swinging her leg over the window sill. "But no worries, Hisapi is here."

He grunts at her, maybe in resignation. "I should have known. Tenzo-kun is getting cheeky. And you're a busybody – reading other people's mail."

"He basically shoved it in my face. What now, you'd rather nobody came?"

'Yes,' his face says unabashedly. She scoffs at him. The room is tiny; Kakashi's bed takes up nearly all of it. A broken chair is shoved into the corner, one leg notably shorter than the others. When she closes the window, the door creaks suspiciously and a draft makes the moth eaten curtains flutter.

But despite the shabby appearance, everything is meticulously clean.

Stepping into the middle of the room Hisana gives her superior a firm salute. "Uchiha Hisana reports for duty. Arrived 267 minutes ago several miles south. No enemy contact; immediate area seems deserted."

"At ease," he drawls, sitting up with a groan, "idiot. You don't happen to have some chakra pills, do you?"

Hisana sticks her hand into her pocket, purposefully bypassing the mild Uchiha pills hidden there, corked properly to keep in their scent of dried violets. Instead she hands him the foul tasting Nara pills. _Asshole_ , she thinks. A bit more appreciation wouldn't kill him. He swallows a handful stoically before handing her the now empty container. "As you surely know, our initial objective was to accompany Tazuna-san back home where he intended to build a bridge. About two and a half days ago we encountered the S-rank missing-nin Momochi Zabuza." He watches her carefully for a reaction that never comes. "I was able to incapacitate him, but he was extracted by an unknown accomplice. Apparently he was hired by a businessman who intends to seize control of the area, to kill our client. We expect more interference before the bridge is completed."

She nods. So no major differences to canon yet. 'Comforting' may not be the best word for it, but the feeling blooming in Hisana's chest is definitely something similar.

"Where do I come in?"

He makes an uncertain noise. "I haven't decided yet. In any case we'll have to tell my cute little students about us – breaks my heart."

"I'm sure they'll forgive us our sordid affair," she says flatly. "I'll keep watch on the roof – you go to sleep. The bags under your eyes … make you look like a basset hound."

She ignores his affected gasp of outrage and climbs out of the window.

* * *

The next morning is a bit of a treat.

Hisana knows that Kakashi loves his dramatics, but takes a particular sort of glee in artfully delivered understatements. So when team 7 comes down for breakfast the next morning, they find both of them sitting at the table, sipping a cup of tea. And when Naruto's face breaks into a look of hilarious, bone-deep betrayal, Hisana very deliberately crinkles her eyes at them and says, "Yo."

For a moment the blonde looks as if he's about to explode, cheeks bulging and eyes wide. The he sags like a punctured balloon.

"Nee-san – what the hell! Why are you here?" Sakura and Sasuke merely eye her uncertainly.

"I sent for the best reinforcements," Kakashi says. "But they were busy, so this one will have to suffice."

Below the table she digs her fingers into the soft backside of his knee and pinches. It forces a satisfying noise out of him that he skillfully disguises as a cough. "I'm doing my old master a favor," she says, "You know how it is … with growing age – ouch!"

Tsunami watches dispassionately as they smile beatifically at each other, everything about their body language screaming 'murder'. It's been two hours since the two were introduced; for only one of them Hisana managed to act like a respectable ninja. To Hisana's surprise Sakura at least seems to welcome her arrival. The girl sits down next to her and grabs her hand.

"That Zabuza guy is creepy," she tells her. "I don't think I like Mist ninja very much."

"Sensible," Hisana comments. "The most important thing is to make sure they don't like us very much either."

"Sounds like a plan!" Naruto crows and plops down at the table. Sasuke needs a moment longer, as if to ascertain that it's really her; or maybe he fears a deeper meaning to her appearance than just reinforcements. That boy took the 'underneath the underneath' lesson a little too seriously, maybe. Even as he sits down and takes the bowl of rice that Tsunami hands him, he still remains tense and ready for confrontation. Hisana smiles slyly at him.

* * *

To her immense relief it's been not even a week since team 7 arrived and decided to stay. Sasuke and Naruto haven't managed more than a few chakra laden steps up their trees, leaving Sakura to guard Tazuna alone and Kakashi to his rest.

Those two boys would be fine, Hisana thinks. And now, with Kakashi on his feet days earlier than expected, Tazuna would be protected. _I'm really just the clean-up._ How weird a realization. But what now?

She could trawl the woods for Haku – and what? Kill him? Hisana is pretty certain she won't be able to convince him to stop and go home. To Haku Zabuza's word is everything, and the mist ninja is stubborn as a mule. Following Haku to Zabuza's hideout would be suicide. The man may be weakened, but against him and Haku at the same time she wouldn't stand a chance.

Also, as soon as she reported for duty, Kakashi became her commanding officer on this mission; there's no way he'd let her go off and look for trouble by herself. But can she really just sit by and wait?

"I want to look for them," Hisana murmers, vaguely aware that it's a bad idea. "Look where they're hiding."

Kakashi shoots her a sharp look, singular eye turning flinty and calculating. "Just 'look', huh?"

"I'm not an idiot," she grouses, watching Naruto involve Sasuke in particularly loud argument across the table, "Zabuza is too much for me alone, and his accomplice is an unknown. But you don't exactly need me around here. Instead of waiting for them to come to us, we can at least try and find out who 'they' are."

Her logic is sound. There's no reason why she shouldn't at least try to track them down – well, except for the obvious part.

"And how do you intend to find them? I'm an excellent tracker, but even I haven't quite figured out how to telepathically communicate a scent to you."

Hisana glares at him. "Let me worry about that. I'm a big girl now, you know."

* * *

It's almost laughably easy to follow the boys into the small smattering of trees that masquerades as a forest. As far as she remembers, Haku is supposed to wander the area in search of healing herbs. If so, chances are good that he did so even before he met Naruto. Hisana is reasonably sure that Naruto hasn't met Haku yet, but even if he has, the scent should still be there. And any human scent this far from the village would be Haku's. The villagers seem to stay away from the forest, worried about animals rather than Gato's men for once.

"There's stuff that you're not telling us," Ran accuses, even as she obediently goes to sniff for traces of human scent. "You can't keep doing that."

Haku's scent is in fact pretty widely spread. They find it in several places where someone has obviously been harvesting plants. Unfortunately Hisana has no idea for what he might be looking next, so intercepting him won't work. Instead they keep trawling the undergrowth, trying to find the place where all of his paths converge. He's good, she has to admit grudgingly. They follow his scent nearly off the small island, before Hisana decides they must have been following a false trail.

"There's no way he could have dragged Zabuza's body off the island without anyone noticing. And there must be a reason why he's gathering herbs here, not somewhere in the greater forests off the island.

In the end she does stumble across Naruto's and Haku's famous encounter – or rather, the aftermath.

Naruto's face would have been hilarious, dumbfounded and almost a little scared by the force of Haku's revelation, if she weren't so pressed for time. So she leaves the little ninja to his confused thoughts and sets off after the overly friendly enemy shinobi. Haku is _really_ good. Hisana is reasonably sure he hasn't noticed her yet, his pace unhurried and posture relaxed, but he stops several times to make sure nobody followed him. Fortunately her genjutsu is solid.

His chakra levels, the way he moves – Hisana would estimate him to be at chuunin level. His kekkei genkai could easily elevate him to tokubetsu jounin, however the rest of his skill set she could probably handle. It would be a risk to ambush him now; a fight would be undoubtedly loud and draw unwelcome visitors. But in a few days … she might be able to spare Naruto his fifteen minutes of survivor guilt. Sasuke though … needs his Sharingan.

Hisana shakes her head; right now she has other worries. Fifty feet above her Haku starts to move again.

* * *

At the pier, surrounded by busy noise and cable reels, Kakashi lounges against a steal beam. The lurid orange of his book is like a beacon among the grays and tans of the working crew.

Tazuna's men seem to take comfort in his blatant, eccentric presence, occasionally glancing over to the jounin who seems to pay them no mind at all.

"Useless," Hisana tuts, slinking out from behind him. "As always."

"Like teacher, like student," he muses, leisurely turning a page. His eye trails over to where Sakura's vivid head bobs along the water, assessing whether or not she's likely to drown any moment, before struggling to his feet with a grunt. She watches him in exasperation.

"You're neither that injured, nor that old."

"You flatter me, love." He stuffs his book into his back pocket. "Come on. I think you have a report for me."


	10. Chapter 10

Oh my god, guys. Officially I'm on hiatus, because I'm having exams and I really shouldn't be writing – but I'm doing it anyway! Wish me luckDDD:

On another note: the lovely **KatieBees** brought it to my attention that I might have been depriving you of scenes that would be interesting, like student/teacher between Hisana and Genma or Kakashi, team Eta moments, or Ran and Fudo's memories of Shisui. Aaannd … she's right. I cut those out because the story is already moving at a snail's pace – BUT: I've decided they'd make nice **extras**.

Sooo … the first one is a team Eta moment, because I love Tenzo. And I love you guys – **200 reviews**! Keep 'em coming please:D

* * *

"So what do you think?"

Kakashi stares at her, or maybe through her. There's not much information that Hisana could offer him. Not without entering the sturdy little tree house that the missing-nin seemed to have cobbled up. Zabuza's chakra signature was easy to recognize inside; a testament of just how close Kakashi came to snuffing him out completely. But she still didn't dare come too close, even when Haku left again nearly four hours later. It's not great loss though, because even from afar Hisana is fairly certain that Zabuza is at least awake by now.

She watches her team leader's vacant expression with measured patience. Gears are turning behind that blank facade; Hisana is used to waiting quietly until he sorts through everything.

"Hmmm." He scratches his chin, eye squinting into the air. "An ambush would be too risky. We would both need to go and leave Tazuna-san with only my cute little students."

"And we can't be sure Gato won't send more," Hisana agrees. "So what now?"

He taps his masked cheek thoughtfully.

"Well, they don't know about you yet. How good are you with the Kagebushin no Jutsu?"

* * *

Abysmal. The answer is 'abysmal'.

In the end Hisana has to submit to the utter shame of copying the technique with her Sharingan. "Like a plebeian," she huffs.

"Yes," Kakashi drawls. "How fortunate that nobody can see the Uchiha princess sink so low. Get a grip. Again!"

This time she executes the technique solidly, a little irrationally ashamed of her kekkei genkai. She sort of gets what people mean when they call the Uchiha 'thieves' – it cheapens the jutsu. Perfecting it will still take time, but the basics are good enough for most and few people ever appreciate the difference between simple proficiency and mastery.

"Kagebushin no Jutsu."

It's a little more disconcerting than the normal Bushin, mostly because it sucks more chakra out of her. But also because it's _weird_ to have a perfect copy of yourself blink at you from somewhere other than the mirror. The other Hisana seems to have similar thoughts; she pokes her shoulder. "Whoa."

Kakashi claps his hands. "Children. Can we be professional enough to actually spy on someone?" Both girls turn to stare at him flatly. "All right – I'll take that as a yes."

The plan is simple: Hisana's clone keeps an eye on the Mist ninja and the moment they move the clone dismisses herself – an early warning system of sorts. It's all very anticlimactic, but in a way she's grateful. A confrontation would have been playing with fire in more ways than one. Like this they minimize the risks but … it still doesn't sit right with her. Hisana likes planning things through as much as possible. Leaving business unfinished like this, where it's sure to come back and bite her, is like a persistent itch that she can't scratch.

"Still so restless," the other ninja chastises her as they watch the Kagebushin vanish into the woods. He squeezes her neck briefly before ambling off. "Watch the village. I'll go keep an eye on the rugrats."

* * *

For all the potential danger, the mission is actually pretty boring. Now that the threat of enemy ninja has been summarily shoved aside for later purview and Kakashi is back on his feet, the only thing left to do is wait it out. And waiting has never been her strong point.

Fortunately, while the village itself isn't very interesting, the people are. Her arrival isn't common knowledge yet, isn't supposed to be, so she can't interact with them. Part of Hisana's surveillance duty, however, is to get familiar with the people and scout for intruders.

And so she takes up the old, familiar hobby of people watching.

It used to be enjoyable, back when it wasn't a survival skill, back when she and Evie used to spend Sundays at the park, feeding pigeons like dorks. It's not the same now, obviously. For one, people here have sadder things to hide. Back then they giggled about couples stealing kisses, children trading carrot sticks against peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, elderly women staring after young men as they walked by.

But now her eyes are sharper, her instincts for people honed better. During daytime everyone manages to act civilized. Sure, there are some arguments here and there, but the village keeps itself together. At night it's a different story. There are mothers who dig up the last of their supplies, hidden from their friends to feed their children; drunken fights in dark alleys, fueled by helpless, aimless aggression; young women trying to sell themselves even while nobody has the money to spare. And the couples, of course, only few of them innocent the way she used to know, the rest of them wear wedding rings that never match.

Watching them is useless, of course. She doesn't think that anyone has infiltrated, will infiltrate the village. What use would it be? Gato isn't interested yet, Zabuza still hasn't finished his job, and Haku has no use for such things. Of course Kakashi knows none of this, so she keeps watching.

She sees the little boy around town sometimes. Inari, Tsunami's kid. He's a walking dark cloud, spreading his black mood wherever he goes. People treat him with kid gloves though. Hisana isn't sure if it's because they pity him, or because they remember his father. He's a bit like Sasuke that way, she muses. He's been through so much, people are fine with enduring his impotent rage, and it's not doing him any favors.

As much as Hisana tries to work up some kind of sympathy for this lost boy, it just won't come. He isn't _hers_ in any way, not like team 7, like her friends, or even the whole of Konoha. A distant, removed sort of pity she can dredge up, but it's dampened by the knowledge of how things are going to progress.

'Naruto will take care of this'

'It'll be fine'.

That won't always work, won't always be true, but she's willing enough to leave it at that in this instance. Children, no matter how pathetic to look at, are adaptable. He'll bounce back.

Tsunami's pain, on the other hand, strikes a chord with her. It's not overt the way her son's is. It's quiet and turned inward, and few people seem to notice how she's slowly falling apart. An adult woman's grief has something vaguely pathetic, Hisana thinks. They're not supposed to cry, especially not if they're someone's parent. She's never seen her own parents cry, and ninja are notorious for being dry-eyed. The last time she's seen anyone cry was Shizuha, years ago, when they were still younger.

But the scent of salt water that wells up at odd hours of the night or when the house appears empty isn't even the worst of it. The worst is knowing that this can't be fixed. There's a hollowness to the woman's eyes that speaks of a person broken one too many times. The village might be freed, food might return to the tables, Inari might grow into a good man, but Tsunami is still a young woman widowed twice and worn far beyond her years. She, just like the entire village, is suffering silently.

After only a few days Hisana can feel the despair creep into her bones too. It's like their unhappiness is catching – a writhing, living thing that eats everything. Sometimes she envies Naruto his obliviousness. Sasuke and Sakura have at least noticed that _something_ is off, quietly uncomfortable around most adults here.

"I wish something would just happen already," she tells Kakashi a few nights later. "This entire mission is depressing as hell."

"Don't jinx it," he shushes her, looking very serious. "I'd be happy to just finish this in peace."

"You're not that naïve. Zabuza will come back. It's only a matter of time. I'm tired of this waiting game." He musters her for a moment, then closes his book with a quiet sigh.

"When have you become so pessimistic? And it's not like you to be so impatient."

"This entire village," she grits out, "it's driving me crazy. The people, the suffering, the – _the everything_ . And oh, yes, then there's this S-rank missing-nin running around!" She throws him a heated look before deflating. "I wish Tenzo were here."

"Me too, kid," he says, awkwardly patting her head. She clicks her teeth at him and he swats at her face. "You know what they say about biting the hand that feeds you."

"The day you actually feed me, and not just run away half-way through, is the day I'll retire."

* * *

The day her shadow clone pops, it is almost a surprise. The bridge is so close to being finished, Hisana has been expecting it any day now, but the rush of adrenaline and memories still catches her off guard. They're moving _fast_. It's as if Zabuza has no recovery period – he goes from bedridden to rearing to go in a matter of minutes. It's frightening; even Kakashi limped around awkwardly for a few days. Granted, Zabuza took longer, but the way he moves through the trees makes it clear that he too is back to 100 percent.

ETA seven minutes. She flies across the roofs so fast it startles a few civilians on the street. When the bridge comes into view she slides down the last roof and hits the ground running. Five minutes at the most before they reach the end of the forest. A shoddy genjutsu is enough to conceal her from the civilians, but the sound of her footsteps is still loud enough to have Kakashi rise from the ground in alarm. Hisana skids to a halt in front of him, adrenaline crawling across her skin like ants. "Go," he tells her. "Stay out of this until I call for you. Sakura! Get Tazuna – we've got guests incoming."

"Three minutes," Hisana warns him before clambering up a shaky old crane. It's not very high, but enough to get her out of the way; the perfect position to observe, as long as no one upsets it too much. The contraption sways precariously in the wind, but there's no time to reconsider her position. Hisana clings belly down to the rusty metal, trying to calm her pulse. This is idiotic, she thinks, watching team 7 below send the other workers home in a hurry and Tazuna shake in his sandals. She wants to be down there – be useful. Instead she's the surprise back up, hoping to … _startle_ Haku into making a mistake. He's too good for that.

But the team leader has spoken. She watches Kakashi nervously, trying to assess just how worried he is. But as always his face is a blank slate. Directly below her team 7 has formed a protective ring around the bridge builder. She's close enough to see the sweat beading on the old man'S bald head. If she were an assassin … Tazuna would already be dead. Hysterical laughter bubbles up in her throat but Hisana squashes it down. It's a lesson for another time.

She isn't sure anymore how Zabuza was supposed to arrive, but this time it's clear they startled him, not the other way around. He's alone – as far as she can see – and when he touches down on the bridge, he finds Kakashi calm and ready, team 7 a picture of stubbornness behind him

"Well, well," he drawls. "Looks like someone's been expecting me." He bursts into a spray of water, splattering all over the last of the startled working crew. They yelp and scramble to get away. Mist crawls out from behind the houses, from below the bridge. It's thick and heavy and in a matter of seconds Hisana has lost sight of everyone but the genin below her. But she can still smell them – Kakashi's nerves and Zabuza's bloodlust, his chakra saturating in the mist as if he's everywhere at once.

Naruto twitches. "Futon," he snaps, spitting out a gust of wind just strong enough to clear the area for a second. Metal hits metal as Zabuza darts out of his cover, diving for his target. His giant Kubikiribocho comes to a halt inches away from Sakura's head; the kunai wobbles in Kakashi's hand. Half a pound of Konoha steel against one of the most feared swords in the Elemental Nations. That was close, Hisana thinks unhappily. She couldn't have blocked that – if it had been up to Hisana, Sakura would be _dead_.

To her surprise, instead of pressing further, Zabuza eases off. His beady eyes dart back and forth between Kakashi's stormy expression and the group of shivering genin huddled around the bridge builder; Sasuke catches his gaze stubbornly. And then the missing-nin's shark eyes thin in a sinister smile. "Haku, you'll like this one," he says as a slight figure emerges from the last dredges of fog. Next thing she knows the sound of bodies colliding echoes across the bridge and the jounin take their fight onto the water. Risky, she thinks disapprovingly, but Kakashi will be fine. He has to be. Instead Hisana turns her eyes back to the slim, poised figure of Haku below.

"We'll see," the boy muses and makes a grab for Sasuke.

The fight that follows is … reassuring. Hisana hasn't seen Sasuke go all out in years. Even before graduating he had been pretty impressive, but his speed is truly something. She watches with bated breath how they twist around each other, all quick hands and sliding blocks. For a moment she recalls Haku's wish to be friends with Naruto and wonders what it would be like to see them sparring instead of fighting to the death; she suspects it would be beautiful rather than terrifying.

Sasuke delivers a vicious, crunching kick to Haku's back and it sends the missing-nin flying, skidding across the wet stone. "Looks like I have the advantage in speed."

The sentence sets off a tiny alarm in Hisana's head, though she can't quite recall why.

"At this rate we'll be driven back," Zabuza sing-songs from across, both he and Kakashi frozen at the sight of Haku's momentary defeat.

"Yes," is the only response; Haku chuckles wetly. A bit of blood dribbles out from behind his mask, speckling the ground. "Can't have that." His fingers twist into a modified tiger seal. It's as if the air suddenly turned cold; the formation of Haku's ice mirrors is truly a thing of beauty, but Sasuke's fixed expression is not. Form here she can't see it clearly, but Hisana thinks Kakashi's eyes flicker towards her. Screw this, she thinks, thigh muscles tensing to spring. If this isn't her cue, she's going to pretend it is.

The crash is deafening as she slams through the topmost, half formed mirror. For a second the two younger ninja freeze in confusion as if time had suddenly ground to a halt. Outside, Sakura makes a choked, yipping noise. Haku twitches minutely away from her, even as he pumps more chakra into the jutsu. And Sasuke … turns wide, startled eyes to her. She grabs him by his shirt, ignoring the protest forming on his lips, and throws him clear through the hole in Haku's defense. The splintered mirror closes behind him, glittering edges sealing shut and trapping her inside.

"Well hello," she says, just a little breathless in excitement. "Fancy a dance?"

* * *

 **Extra**

"ANBU Cat is to report to headquarters immediately."

Tenzo stares at the messenger's blank mask, a strange, squirmy feeling in his gut. It's afternoon; few missions are actually given after midday, and those that are, rarely before sunset. Afternoon summons are bad news, everyone knows that. The messenger bows before taking off again; Tenzo stares after him with a daunted expression. In turn ANBU Tiger claps him on the shoulder – 'better you than me' – and wordlessly disappears into the thicket of the forest. It's not quite a dismissal but close enough, and Tenzo realizes with a sinking feeling that he just missed a chance to spar with one of their most notorious for what is most likely going to be a well-paid kick in the nuts.

But he's nothing if not a good ninja, a loyal ninja, and so Tenzo trudges towards the exit of training ground 02, resigned to his fate. The last time he was called in during the day preceded a month long mission in Hot Water – four weeks of luke warm rain and dense fog. He didn't feel entirely dry for weeks after coming home. And dear god, senpai was insufferable. 'Tenzo-kun, my book is damp – what if it starts to go moldy? The pages are all limp'.

He squashes the memory, willing the Hokage to have pity on him just once. It would be about time.

The Sandaime Hokage is not exactly an imposing figure. There are some who think that's a bad thing; Tenzo isn't one of them. He still remembers what it's like to look into the eyes of an autocrat and know there's no mercy in there. Someone who is strong and wields his strength with neither temperance nor righteousness. He'd much rather bow to the grandfatherly Sarutobi who might be harsh but not cruel. But right now even the Hokage's kindly face can't banish the disquiet he feels. In fact, the spiraling smoke of the man's pipe does nothing but emphasize the silence in the room.

He wants to ask – badly. But an ANBU is silent until spoken to, and so he waits.

For fourteen minutes and 28 seconds. Then the door behind him bangs open and Kakashi-senpai comes strolling in. "Yo."

The Hokage nearly cracks his pipe in half.

"Kakashi – so kind of you to _finally join us_." The jounin scratches his cheek sheepishly.

"Well you know, there was this girl who insisted I buy vegetables and then we had a fight about whether tomatoes – "

The Sandaime silences him with a highly unimpressed look. Tenzo watches them stare at each other, most of his trepidation turning into disbelief. It's a scene right out of a high ranking official's nightmare. The things senpai gets away with most Clan leaders can only dream of. While not much of a politic force after the death of his father and the subsequent demise of his clan, Kakashi is respected and well-connected – far more so than any other shinobi Tenzo has ever heard of. It's not unusual for him to just go off and do whatever, as if the Hokage _were_ just a kindly old man, but it's still fascinating to watch him brazen it out every time.

"Get on with it, Kakashi-kun," the old man finally sighs. "Contrary to popular belief, I don't have all day. This was your idea to begin with."

Of course it was. Who else would so cruelly and completely unintentionally ruin all of Tenzo's plans? Senpai clears his throat, suddenly the very picture of a composed elite shinobi, and presents the Hokage with a rather thin, unassuming looking folder.

"I request the formation of a multi-purpose B-level squad. Peace time mission activity has shown that well-rounded squads are more advantageous than highly specialized squads, and yet there are only two in rotation – the teams Delta, a half-retired jounin squad, and Zeta, a barely functioning chuunin squad."

The Sandaime makes a noncommittal noise, waving his hand dismissively.

"And you know exactly why. Teams Alpha through Gamma have self-destructed because too many specialists in one place couldn't get their priorities straight. Only Epsilon was ever really successful before it was eliminated in the war. It's just not feasible to make them anymore – too many resources invested with no certain pay-off. What makes you think you can do it better?"

Kakashi's eye crinkles a smile at him.

When they finally leave the Hokage's office, the old man looks as if he feels a migraine approaching. Tenzo is unceremoniously shoved out, another manila folder pushed into his hands. When he opens it, Senpai still insistently steering him, he finds exactly three documents inside. One is a brief on him, the second one on Kakashi, and the third one belongs to a young girl looking sullenly up at him from what appears to be a candid shot. 'Uchiha Hisana' the document says, listing a small number of accomplishments and a truly staggering list of famous teachers. Top of Ito Oren's class, under Shiranui Genma's care, Hyuuga Kohaku's student … and at the very bottom, senpai's sloppy handwriting, it says _Hatake Kakashi's apprentice_.

Tenzo sighs. Not even three hours ago he prayed for pity. Looks like he never really stood a chance.


	11. Chapter 11

Fresh off the press, people!

Thank you for all your kind words and support – exams are done (phew) and I sat down and started typing right away. As you know, combat isn't my strong suit, but I gave it my all.

* * *

Haku stares at her.

The mask is a blank slate, unreadable and impenetrable, but Hisana knows. He seems hesitant suddenly – not as startled as she'd hoped, but caught off guard nevertheless. He's taken pains to get a read on Sasuke, feel out his skills, before deciding to spring his trap. And Hisana went ahead and screwed it all up. He has no idea what to expect from her. "You – " he starts, leaning out of his mirror like something out of a bizarre horror movie, but then seems to think better of it. "I'm very sorry," he says instead.

"Yes," she agrees placidly. "Me too."

He truly is fast. Senbon scrape by her neck guard, hitting her earring with a tinkling noise; one might have possibly gotten stuck in her hair. She understands, frighteningly so, how Sasuke could have lost to this boy who must be, no doubt, also a genius. But Hisana has a few things Sasuke doesn't have, and also quite a few that Haku doesn't.

 _Doukushin_ is by no means a fancy blade, but it's still a good one. Durable, most of all. And no weapon forged by Goya Madoka breaks in the face of a little ice, chakra infused or not. Evading the constant onslaught and blocking whatever gets too close is … not easy, but doable. But turning this into a battle of stamina might not be the best idea. Hisana has no doubt that this technique is draining the boy at a rapid pace, but probably not quickly enough if she still wants to be useful in the rest of the battle.

She kicks off the ground, and slams her heels into one of the mirrors. It vibrates unnaturally, more like an actual mirror than ice, but doesn't even crack. Hard as steel – as _Konoha_ steel, she thinks wryly. She dodges another shower of senbon, before kicking off one for the second time. This time when she lands on the mirror, Haku seems to brace for it. There's no give anymore, only dull 'thud'. Breaking them must be easier from the outside. Or maybe destroying them only works before they fully form.

She twists backwards, hands hitting the ground, and her leg kicks out against Haku in the mirror behind her. Her foot finds its target with luck rather than skill, driving the breath out of her opponent. Aha – so he's not entirely invulnerable. This time she sticks to the mirror, and when Haku's face appears at the other side of the circle, she merely kicks off to drive her blade into the mirror. Blood splatters, barely a few drops – still too fast.

Suiton techniques are useless here and Hisana knows that Katon does precious little to melt this ice. She just needs to be _faster_. The Sharingan flare to life with a crackle of chakra. It feels like relief, like righteous anger is finally bubbling out of her. For a moment she fixates on the other ninja, the urge to just kill him stronger than expected. But the dark red of her own eyes blinks at Hisana from all around and she hesitates. She looks … vicious, not like herself. She jolts, very nearly walking into Haku's next attack. Hisana blinks again, this time the image of her reflection actually hitting home. A smile tugs at her mouth as the disturbing feeling fades into giddy realization. Of fucking course.

"A kekkei genkai," she hears Haku murmur from above. "I haven't seen another one like me for … a very long time."

There's a certain breathless quality to his voice, as if he can't quite believe that such a thing should still exist.

"You've been living under a rock," she says, thoughts whirling. "We are many." The genjutsu rolls off her in gentle waves, crashing into Haku's mirrors and reflecting back at her. For a moment Hisana can see herself, bleeding more than she should be, panting and tired, close to collapsing – it's the way he sees her. A fist finds its way into Haku's face. He flails, startled; spidery cracks run through the porcelain of his mask, splinters and ceramic dust trickling to the ground. And he's caught. The last of the illusion settles around him like a cloak, taking advantage of his pain and shock to skink its hooks deeply into his brain.

The next senbon miss her spectacularly, but Haku is already too far gone to notice. "I'm sorry," he says again, staring at her, _through_ her. He steps out of his mirror, shoulders hunched and steps sluggish. Chakra deprivation. Maybe even guilt.

She could kill him right now, run him through with her sword. Spit a wad of acid into his face … but she doesn't. Instead she suppresses the violent urge and patiently waits for him to release the jutsu. Maybe this time nobody has to die.

It's fall; the sun in Wave brings neither heat nor much light, but Hisana is still glad to see it as the mirrors start to turn into glittering, frosty mist around them. She takes a deep breath, feeling the first tendrils of relief tug at her.

And then Sasuke makes a _noise_. Her head snaps to where team 7 is, not thirty feet away. Sakura is still shielding Tazuna with her body, but not from Haku. Her back is turned towards them, kunai braced against a completely different opponent. A handful of Gato's men have arrived, weapons drawn and eerie smiles on their faces. Naruto's hand is raised in a block; he, too, seems too distracted by his enemy to see or hear anything around him. But Sasuke is sitting on the floor, eyes glued to her and Haku. There's a look on his face that she's never seen before. Wide-eyed, helpless, _disbelieving_. He reaches out for her, nonsensically, too far away to touch. His mouth is open but no more sound seems to come out.

Idiot, she thinks, what about your fight? Her eyes flicker towards the mercenary that slips through Naruto's defenses and makes a grab for her cousin – but Sasuke downs him with a thoughtless punch to the head. The crack of the man's skull is deafening and for a moment both Hisana and Haku just stop to look at the two of them: a dead man and a heaving, shaking genin with bloodied knuckles. And when Sasuke lifts his eyes from the ground they're blood-red.

Oh. Haku flinches as he recognizes them, as if just now realizing he's facing two clansmen, and Hisana uses the moment. "Dokugiri."

The memory of Hanada's poison gas technique is forever branded into her brain. It's one of those techniques that made true impression on her – so much that she wanted it, to keep it and master it. Hanada's price for it was … inconsequential in comparison, as if the girl herself didn't quite realize what she was giving away. A different sort of poison wells up in her mouth; gentler, more insidious than Hanada's preferred irritant. It's unperfected, still smells of opium, but Haku simply isn't _present_ enough to put one and one together and come up with two. And so he merely blinks at her sleepily before sinking to the floor.

"Sweet dreams," she tells him as the last of his mirrors melt gracelessly into sludge around them.

"Nee-san!" Sakura's voice shatters the last of her battle deafness and the noise of the fighting around her comes rushing back in. The girl looks dazed, blinking her eyes rapidly as if shaking off the vestiges of a very weird day dream. Almost like… – genjutsu. She turns around to where Haku's mirrors stood only moments ago; the sludge circles her like a bizarre, icy Stonehenge. Perfect, polished reflectors, throwing back the image of her eyes tenfold in every direction. Oh.

Sakura stares at her, relief and confusion warring on her face, only vaguely cognizant of the scene that must have played out only seconds ago. But Sasuke's eyes are bleeding with the echo of grief. Hisana pulls one of Haku's wayward senbon out of her hair and flicks it off the bridge. Well, she thinks a tad numbly, at least the problem of the Sharingan has been solved. Then her eyes flicker to the last of the missing-nin, and comfortable numbness turns into something darker.

Tsunami and Inari look decidedly worse for wear. Hostages, both of them. Frightened and roughed up they huddle together, Inari's eyes unerringly fixed on his grandfather. How did this happen? The details of the Wave mission are fuzzy at best, but Hisana is pretty certain that nothing of the sort was _supposed_ to happen.

One of the mercenaries grabs Tsunami, shaking the woman roughly. "You better stay back – I've been itching to cut something up!" He brandishes his sword, first in their general direction, then at Tsunami directly. Hisana balks.

"Sasuke," she barks, effectively snapping him out of his funk. "Head in the game!"

And then she pumps chakra into her legs and goes for it. She races past a startled Sakura and into the fray, scattering mercenaries like startled birds. It takes only a precious few seconds before the boys are at her side. It's the first time she actively works together with team 7 and it's very nearly as glorious as she suspected. Give it a few years, she thinks to herself, knocking out a man that Naruto trips into her path. She can barely wait.

" _That's enough!"_

The voice is deep and strangely croaky, and it manages to halt absolutely everyone in their tracks. On the water, even the sound of Zabuza's ninjutsu has fizzled into nothingness.

Gato is a short man. He's dressed very western, in a suit and sunglasses that make him look like a mafia boss rather than a business man. The sketchy looking body guards that surround him only strenghten the impression. He pointedly takes a drag from his cigar – exhales. Smoke curls up over his head. The entire scenario is completely bizarre. The broken bodies of his men surround him; he doesn't even give them a second glance.

"That's quite enough," he repeats, this time a little calmer. "Zabuza! There I went hiring you – going out of my way to seek you out – because of your excellent reputation, and now look at this. You haven't managed to kill even a single person on this damn island." The former Kiri-nin snarls at him, but Gato merely takes another drag from his cigar. "All that fuss for nothing. Oh well. If I'd planned on paying you even a single ryo, I might have been more annoyed."

Stunned silence. "What was that?" For any other ninja it would have been exceedingly foolish to dismiss Kakashi like this, but Zabuza drops his sword, all fight gone out of him, and it only makes the Konoha-nin drop his guard in turn. Kakashi is frozen by the turn of events. His eyes dart back and forth between the two men, hand cautiously reaching up to cover his Sharingan back up.

Zabuza's gaze first flickers back towards Copy-nin – hesitant but watchful – then towards the team 7 – sweating and shaking – and finally to Hisana. For a second he looks distinctly displeased, but a few feet away Haku's chest is obviously rising and falling with his breathing, and so she too is dismissed as a threat. "So," he muses, adjusting his grip of his broken hand on Kubikiribocho, "you're double-crossing me?"

Gato scoffs. "You're a missing-nin. Don't act so offended. Boys, put him down."

"Well then. Seems like we have no quarrel with each other anymore, Kakashi of the Sharingan." And when he throws himself at Gato, nobody can think to stop him. Panic breaks out. Come on guys, Hisana thinks. Do something.

They're fighting the same battle now, if for different reasons. Shouldn't they be fighting together? Hisana casts Haku's unconscious form a furtive look. She didn't keep him alive for nothing, did she? Because if Zabuza dies, she's reasonably sure Haku will just end himself anyway.

"Executive decision," she announces, just loud enough to draw Kakashi's eyes. Punching a random mercenary out of her way, she runs over to Haku, hands already searching her pockets for an antidote and the good Uchiha Soldier Pills. She peels the mask off the boy's face and forces a little wake-up pill down his throat, roughly squeezing the muscles to make him swallow. For a moment Hisana allows herself to be impressed by the pretty face while the pill does its job. He does look like a girl; no wonder Naruto was confused. It's almost a shame to slap him. She does it anyway, hard.

Haku startles awake with a yelp. The last traces of poison still have him cross-eyed and confused; he struggles in her arms, apparently still awake enough to recognize her. It's an uncoordinated effort and subduing him is easy, but he still manages to hit her in the nose. "Fuck! Calm down, you twit." They grapple on the floor, before she can manage to forcefully turn his head to the erratic scene at the edge of the village. Sakura and Sasuke managed to drag Tazuna away from the struggle, while Kakashi has Tsunami thrown over his shoulder and Inari tucked under his arm like a bag of potatoes. He's watching them carefully, but there's not disapproval on his face yet, so Hisana turns her wary eyes back to the panicking boy under her.

"The situation has changed. We're not the enemy anymore." He blinks forcefully, as if trying to ascertain if his eyes deceive him. "I have a soldier pill with your name on it," she adds. "I thought you might want to help him."

"Why?" Haku's voice is raspy from her rough treatment and definitely not feminine anymore.

"Because … it's unnecessary to fight anymore and I prefer not to make enemies if I don't have to. Also, you'd be doing our work for us."

His mouth twitches into something that might have been a smile. She presses two pills into his hand and folds his fingers around it. "Your choice, doll face."

Of course it's not really a choice. Haku has barely swallowed the pills before he's already stumbling after his partner.

It's a massacre. Hisana isn't sure if team 7 has dealt out any more lethal hits than Sasuke's little accident, but it doesn't matter – they're going to need counseling after this. While the genin may at least try to go for simple knock-outs, nobody else seems to have such compunctions. Zabuza's sword is a menace even to his allies, slicing through rows of men and leaving nothing behind. Kakashi's kills are a bit less conspicuous, but there are only so many ways to interpret a bleeding, glassy eyed body falling at your feet – dead is dead. Haku is a bit more elegant about it, but the Sharingan makes it clear that it's one hit, one kill with him too.

Hisana jumps over a falling body, barely pulling Naruto out of the way of a particularly nasty blow. The boy's eyes are glued to Haku's face, obviously conflicted. Hisana shakes him like a misbehaving puppy."Concentrate, or get out of here," she hisses, a tad more viciously than intended. The blond flinches.

"B-but nee-chan - …" "No! Do you want to get injured? Do you want your team to get distracted because your head's somewhere else?"

He swallows thickly. The question should have been 'Do you want to die?' but no matter how angry she is, Hisana can't bring herself to say it. Naruto seems to have realized it anyway. Ripping him out of the fight was a mistake, she thinks, watching as his limbs start to tremble. There's such a thing as thinking _too much_ about it, and he's definitely getting there. He's still a genin, a child; he shouldn't even be here.

A roar rises up behind them and it startles them both. The first thing she registers are the honest to god pitchforks – then the bound and beaten men that the angry villagers are carrying along. "Well, shit," someone says. Not too far away, Tazuna starts to laugh.

* * *

I just realized: This is the first chapter I've ever done that has zero scene breaks:D

Might explain why it was so difficult to write.


	12. Chapter 12

Another one! I keep writing and writing and writing – must be my new playlist:D

And the copious amounts of free time that I'm allowing myself this (long) weekend before I need to get a tad more serious again.

 **ryecci** : hooray for reverse harems:DD I'm actually a fan, so the fact that it came to mind even just a little tells me I did my job right:D

Special shoutout also to guest reviewer **Ivana23** for putting so much thought into her big-ass review!

* * *

"Let's please never do that again," Sakura says, even as she keeps stealing admiring glances back at the Great Naruto Bridge as it gets smaller in the distance. "For the next ten years, D-rank all the way please."

"Well, it all turned out all right, didn't it?" Haku quips up. Sakura looks warily back at him. It's true that they fought side by side at the end, but that doesn't erase the fact that he was the enemy before that. Without Hisana, Haku could have very well killed anyone arrogant enough to come at him. And after watching him actually fight, Sakura seems more than aware of that.

"That's right!" Naruto crows. "We're pretty awesome after all, right Sensei?" Kakashi crinkles his eye at the boy but pointedly doesn't say anything. Of course the entire thing completely goes over Naruto's head; Sakura's, not so much.

"Sensei?" she whines, as if hoping the jounin would nip Naruto's delusions in the bud.

"We'll see," he hedges, eye suddenly shifty.

"It's nice of you to accompany us this far," Hisana finally says, watching in amusement how Naruto keeps yelling for more C-rank missions while Sakura desperately tries to smother him in the crook of her elbow.

"Ah – it's the least I can do," Haku demurs. "Apologies again for the trouble we caused. It really was nothing personal. Gato is a terrible human being." She nods; it's true. Zabuza fortunately opted to stay at the village, where he's grudgingly being fussed over by grateful villagers. Hisana is not so secretly glad for it. She's mostly fine with Haku –because she knows that he's supposed to be a good person – but his master is an entirely different story. Zabuza, while loyal to Kiri in his own way, is not a good person. She doesn't want to be around him any longer than absolutely necessary.

* * *

"This is where I leave you." The bridge has long since disappeared behind the trees, together with most of the sun. Haku scans the path ahead carefully. "The last of Gato's men should have scattered by now; your way home will be very quiet, I think." He bows to them, which makes team 7 hasten to copy him.

"Thank you very much!" they chorus politely. Hisana snorts at them. Why can't they be this well-behaved with people who _aren't complete strangers_? Like with the grocery lady who still glares at them because Sasuke called her granddaughter a little idiot. Hisana waves half-heartedly, not all that sad to see the strange boy go. They tried to kill each other not three days ago; she's allowed to be a bit creeped out still, isn't she?

But Haku is either unaware or above the creep-factor. He smiles winsomely at her. "Hisana-san, I hope we'll see each other again too. I'm very determined to get the recipe for those soldier pills."

"Forget it," she tells him plainly. He laughs, undeterred, before turning to bid his good-byes to the children.

"Oi," Kakashi quips up from behind. "Don't think I've forgotten that you gave him the good ones while I had to choke down the evil Nara pills."

"That happens to people who get on my nerves, Senpai." He goggles at her.

"You need to sort out your priorities. Also, how rude."

"Are you kidding? 'Kakashi of the ridiculous nicknames' – if there's someone rude here it's you! Don't **you** think I've forgotten about-" Naruto's ridiculous giggles fortunately stop her from laying into her former teacher in front of his students. "Never mind," she trails off, feeling vaguely awkward. Some other time maybe.

They leave Haku behind, the mood unusually light. Naruto steals a glance backwards at the still waving missing-nin and then sidles up to her.

"I still think," he says quietly, "that he's way too pretty." Hisana digs her fingers into his hair and laughs.

"Super pretty," she agrees.

* * *

As it turns out, the aftermath of their little misadventure is almost worse than the actual mission itself.

In the manga it was mostly the Hokage who despaired about it, followed by a worried Iruka. It was never expanded on, however, what fallout Kakashi would face. But as it turns out, as his teammate it's very hard to ignore. 'Wrong decision,' she hears more than once. 'They're just children.'

'Far too dangerous.'

'Reckless.'

'… no pity.'

It's all crap, of course. He cares for his team, no matter how much he likes to pretend otherwise sometimes. Everyone worth their salt _knows_ that. What also stings about it is HIsana's conviction that if Tenzo had answered his call, the reactions would have been vastly different. But she's still young. No matter how skilled she may be, far too many ninja still see her age and think 'average'; good, but not _that good_. If someone put her in a ring with Genma or even Hana, she doesn't need three guesses to know who they'd bet on, despite their equal rank.

The name 'Hatake' catches her attention from the other side of the room, even before she can feel their eyes on her. "Next one who thinks too loudly will get introduced to my fist," she tells Tenzo, just loudly enough for everyone at headquarters to overhear.

"Don't let it get to you," he advises tiredly. "Give it a week or two and they'll have found something more interesting." She knows this is no more than a minor annoyance to their team leader, but she's also more than aware of the parallels that easily get drawn between him and his father. This hits uncomfortably close to home.

"I fucking hope so," is Shiki's grouchy comment. There's a cup of coffee clutched in her hands, the steam rising up into her tired face. "You and your weird senpai have been the only topic for days. Do you know how many people I've had to reprimand? _Six_. That's way too much paperwork for me."

"You need to get out of that office," Hisana advises. "You think you're a desk ninja because it's less effort, but we all know that's not true. You'd rather run all day than argue with petty officials." The Nara makes a noncommittal noise.

"You just want to draft me into your insane missions." She hesitates. "Though at this point I'm not sure if I wouldn't prefer that. Scary."

"Still don't need you," Hisana sing-songs. "Go ahead, leave your friends to struggle alone. We don't mind." To her annoyance Shiki and Tenzo exchange pointed looks. She can't exactly read what they're saying, but there's definitely exasperation involved. "You're both assholes," she decides grumpily when they simultaneously roll their eyes at her. "I'm going home. At least Sasuke loves me. I think."

* * *

Her cousin is, in fact, another problem. Hisana knows that her genjutsu scared the bejeezus out of him – that much was obvious. He's been skittish around her since and every once in a while she catches him staring at her with a strange expression. For now she's content to watch him inch his way into another one of their Serious Conversations, but if he doesn't hurry it up, she'll have to break something; preferably over his head.

Hisana was fully prepared for him to be weirded out by the illusion. It shocked the Sharingan out of him, after all. But now it seems to bother him to an extent where he appears to have summarily forgotten about another traumatizing incident – his first kill.

Sakura insists that he behaves completely normally as soon as Hisana herself is out of sight, only to become twitchy again when she returns, and he has none of the problems she herself faced afterwards: no moments of unexplained panic, no crisis over his own moral character, no sudden hesitation in hitting his teammates.

 _He's made for killing_ , some wary, distrustful part of her thinks and Hisana can't quite dismiss the notion. He might be. But quite a few ninja are, and she knows by now that this doesn't mean he's incapable of caring. And no matter his ethics, this _can_ be enough.

In any case, Sasuke is more receptive to her words when he decides by himself that he's ready to listen, not before that. If she feels the occasional urge to kick him for taking so long, well, that's nobody's business but her own.

"God, it's a good thing I'm never having children," Anko sneers, waving over a wary looking waitress for more tea. "So much trouble for so little blood. So the kid got a bit of a shock – he'll get over it."

"I agree," Hisana deadpans. "It's a good thing you're never having children." The other kunoichi takes a half-hearted swipe at her before collapsing back onto her seat.

"You ready for the Exam?" the tokujou asks her slyly, nails tapping against the table with every word. "Excited?" Hisana shrugs. Ready? Mostly. Excited? Maybe. So much time has passed that her horror of the invasion has faded a little. Or maybe ninja life in general has numbed her. Mostly she just wants it to start already so she can get it over with. No matter how tall Orochimaru's shadow looms over her, the Chuunin Exams are not actually the climax of the story. It's the start, not the end, and she wants to get going already.

She pokes at her dango, easily getting lost in the way the tacky sauce sticks to her finger. "Everyone ready with the preparations by now?"

"Mostly," Anko hums. "Didn't really care enough to ask, but if they aren't, Ibiki will ride their asses until they are. Next week's the deadline. Hana finished the waivers yesterday … we're good. So sit back and watch the show."

'The show', Hisana assumes, means Yamanaka Inozabu and Inuzuka Shippo trying and failing to wrangle the local inns into accepting a couple dozen of foreign ninja. The latter has come crying to Hana several times by now, partly to complain about his stupid partner, partly because he genuinely seems to fear Ibiki enough to hide behind the clan heiress. In turn, Hisana is well enough acquainted with Inozabu to know he's doing the very same thing with Inoichi.

Fact is, they're both idiots and Ibiki will kill them because there's no way they'll get anything done until next week.

"They should have let the Hyuuga handle that," she muses. "People are more likely to listen to them."

"Because they're scary-ass fuckers."

"Because they look trustworthy," she corrects. "Nobody takes an Inuzuka seriously, and Inozabu is a goof."

"I think you overestimate that clan," the older woman tuts. "Nobody thinks they're trustworthy. Powerful, yes, so people kiss their asses. But since your clan … uh … _rapidly downsized_ , they're also the most ninja-y of ninjas. That's not always a good thing." True enough, she guesses. Anko stuffs the last of her dango into her mouth, sauce dribbling on the table. "Well," she says, brandishing the empty stick at Hisana. "It's not our problem. All that's left to do is wait it out now."

* * *

There's a pot of soup standing in their kitchen that Hisana didn't put there. A quick sniff reveals it as something definitely beyond Sasuke's ability. But who leaves food in their apartment, instead of stealing it? Definitely not team 7, and Tenzo's abilities are exhausted with a couple of sandwiches. There's a piece of paper tucked under the pot though and when Hisana pulls it out, the Aburame symbol glares back at he – she winces. Shizuha. They haven't seen each other for a while with Hisana darting back and forth between Anko and Kakashi, and this is pretty broad a hint to come visit already.

"Breaking and entering," she drawls, "you used to be more subtle, Shizurin."

Despite the bitter annoyance the gesture conveys, she's just a little grateful for the food when Sasuke's footsteps come into hearing range. There's no way she's going to cook anything today.

"Hisa-nee," he calls out unexpectedly before even closing the door. "There's a Chuunin Exam in Konoha." She snorts.

"Yeah, I know." She closes the pot and shuffles into the living room instead. Sasuke is holding registration in his hands, half folded and close to his chest, as if prepared to defend it from her. "Calm down, I already suspected."

"And you're … ok with it." It's not really a question, and more an observation. He still looks suspicious, but less ready to fight her.

"I think Kakashi-senpai is insane, but I get why you guys impressed him. I'm not going to stop you. How are your eyes?"

He flashes his Sharingan at her. Hisana walks up to him to have a closer look. Sasuke gained control of it so quickly it's impressive. But he's Itachi's brother, she keeps reminding herself. There's no shortage of genius going around in that gene pool. Hisana herself in turn struggled quite a bit more. Damn that Shisui for hogging all the talent, she thinks wistfully.

Up close it's easier to see the difference between her cousin's eyes and her own. Just like they aren't the exact same shade of black, their Sharingan also differ slightly. Her eyes are a dark, rusty color; almost more brown than red. Sasuke's are a brighter, fiery red. In his left eye a singular tomoe spins lazily, two in his right. Just like hers used to be. She grins at him.

"Off," she commands, feeling a little nostalgic, and immediately they fizzle out into Sasuke's usual black. "I think you're better prepared than most other genin this year. You'll be fine." Or at least he would have been, if Orochimaru could have kept his nose out of their business.

'Are you ok?' she wants to ask, because he's looking at her weirdly again, but she bites her tongue. "What is it?" she asks instead, tone deliberately light. For a moment it almost looks as if he wants to answer her, brows furrowing in thought, but then he only shakes his head.

"It's nothing. Are you going to be there?"

"Oh, I'll be there all right. What did the others say?"

A smirk tugs at Sasuke's mouth, the serious mood all but gone now. "The dobe was ecstatic, of course. He was yelling about beating the others and making chuunin before Inuzuka. He's celebrating with Iruka-sensei. Sakura is anxious. She doesn't think we're prepared enough, so she whined a lot and then went to the library." He rolls his eyes. "Together those two would almost make a half competent ninja."

She pinches him. "Be nice. You're not much better, you know. At least Sakura is preparing; you and Naruto _both_ went right home to eat and brag." He scowls at her, but it's half-hearted.

She drapes her arm around him, feeling a little more settled than before, even though technically nothing's been resolved. "You know I'm here, right?" she can't help but tack on a little belatedly. "Whatever it is. I'm not going anywhere." He nods slowly against her shoulder, looking unconcerned.

"I know."

* * *

On a side note: don't be surprised by the changed user name - I got super fed up with mine for various reasons.


	13. Chapter 13

Ok guys, last 'boring' chapter before the Chuunin Exams. Enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts.

* * *

Against all expectations, Inuzuka Shippo does manage to convince a bunch of inns that they've never wanted anything like they want to host foreign, possibly hostile ninjas.

"We can be convincing," Hana insist, sounding just a little offended. "Just look at my mom. Sometimes you just have to be … motivated enough." Nobody dares to ask what exactly motivated Shippo enough to 'pull a small miracle out of his ass' – though Anko had offered up several interesting theories.

"You know," the woman says while Hisana is sorting both of their paper work, "I'm really looking forward to this now."

"Of course you are – all you've got left to do is scare genin. _I'm_ the one doing the boring administrative stuff." Anko chortles shamelessly, as if it's really Hisana's own fault. Maybe it is, she thinks distractedly. She could be more forceful …

"Anko," she tries, voice hard, "do your own damn paperwork." The other woman laughs in her face. "Yeah," Hisana admits grudgingly, "I thought as much. Fuck you."

In two days the first teams are supposed to arrive. Kiri, if she remembers correctly. Konoha is not as paranoid as Suna, so no patrol will be sent out to meet them. A more charitable person would call it 'trust'; Hisana is about ninety percent sure it's intimidation tactics, because there's no way they won't get hopelessly lost in the Konoha forest. Maybe some of them won't even make it to the proper registration, which would cut competition by quite the percentage. Of course nobody said as much out loud, but after working with him for over six months Hisana has become a bit more familiar with the way Ibiki works. This has his name written all over it.

"Are you gonna play babysitter?" Anko squints down at her in genuine curiosity. Since Hisana isn't an official proctor, she's free to interact with the participants in other ways. For most of the volunteers that means shepherding them around Konoha for sightseeing, and making sure they don't get into trouble. So maybe they are paranoid, but at least it looks like they're being good hosts instead.

Hisana shrugs. "Maybe? I'm not really interested, but if Ibiki drafts me there's not much I can do about it." Anko makes an acquiescing noise. It's hard to argue with that man. "But I'm not going to volunteer, if that's what you mean."

* * *

Whether or not she volunteers is of course of no real consequence. Fortunately there's no babysitting involved, but she's still assigned guard duty for the day. It's a task usually beneath tokubetsu jounin, but with so many visitors coming and going at all hours some extra security has been deemed necessary. As if Orochimaru is going to walk through the front gate. Though, thinking about it, he's currently wearing the guise of a jounin sensei and will therefore in fact be entering through the front gate.

The thought is as hilarious as it is depressing, especially because she remembers his disguise not being especially inspired – and still, nobody will recognize him. What a dark day for the Konoha Intelligence Department.

 _Fortunately_ for Hisana she's stationed at the south gate, which means she'll neither have to deal with the Suna siblings, nor with any Oto ninja. _Unfortunately_ she does have to deal with Kiri. "Now," she says for the second time, polite smile becoming increasingly fixed, "you can either unroll those scrolls, so we can check the seals, or I can _relieve you of them_." The boy's jounin teacher makes an offended noise, and to her right Hisana can practically hear Hagane Kotetsu roll his eyes.

She's just about had it with this secretive, paranoid and most of all rule-breaking bunch. Every genin had to declare their weapons weeks before they were granted access to the village, and this guy obviously has two scrolls that he shouldn't. She doesn't care how hard he insists that they're storage scrolls. Hisana is convinced they're explosive seals, which have been explicitly forbidden inside the village.

"I check them or I sack them," she tells him impatiently. _Alternatively_ , a little voice whispers inside her head, _I could also shove them up your ass. Nothing to muffle an explosion like a body._ The little voice sounds remarkably like Anko; Hisana wonders if that should worry her. In any case, she's not discussing this for another fifteen minutes, especially because he isn't the first today.

"Asshat," she still growls five minutes later as she tries to stack the scroll on top of an already sizable pile. It wobbles and then rolls back down to her feet.

"Patience isn't really your strong point, is it?" her partner muses, a little entertained when she finally gives the stubborn scroll a kick.

"I am far beyond patience," she informs him. "These people are driving me nuts."

Other than the increasing strain on her nerves the job is thankfully boring. It does irk Hisana, somewhere deep down, that it'll make her miss team 7's little run-in with the Kazekage's children, but at the same time she's also shamefully glad that she won't have to see Gaara this soon. It might have been useful to talk to Temari though. Then again, she can't very well do Naruto's job for him. He needs to confront Kankuro and leave some sort of first impression on them. Also, it will be tremendously amusing to see if Temari makes the connection between Sasuke and her.

* * *

That evening Naruto is practically fuming.

"Such jerks," he gasps, as if still quite unable to believe that anyone would be so rude. Oh, the irony. Predictably he's more appalled at Kankuro than Gaara, even though the rest of his team seems to have rightfully pegged the red-head as the bigger threat.

"They're guests," she reminds him gently, even if she's inclined to agree. "Even if they behave like … well, Hyuuga." Sakura snorts indelicately. Next to her Sasuke pointedly averts his gaze.

"Don't let Kohaku-chan hear you say that," Kakashi's voice comes from behind, making Hisana jump from the bench so hard she nearly knocks her head into his chin. He dodges her neatly, and then takes the vacated seat. She glares at him; he smiles back unapologetically.

"Kohaku-senpai would know probably agree," she grumbles. Not before giving her that hard, disappointed stare that makes her feel roughly four inches tall, but in the end he'd agree. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh nothing – I just felt like going and seeing my favorite people in the world."

There's a witty little quip being communicated here, she thinks as his eye crinkles impishly; one that goes neatly over most of team 7's heads. For a moment Hisana entertains the foolish hope that she's maybe reading too much into it his usual playful smile, but there's an edge to it that clearly says 'got you'. Great. They've officially reached a new stage in their relationship and Hisana isn't sure if she likes it; now she can't even berate him for his snark without looking like a lunatic.

"Aww Kaka-sensei, that's so nice of you," Naruto says, looking a little touched. Sasuke sighs deeply and very put upon.

"Dobe. Don't be naïve. He's here for Hisa-nee." Naruto glares at him before fixing his eyes back onto his sensei's face.

"But – Kakashi-sensei, you've still gotta train us! You promised us another super cool jutsu for the exam. And – and I think those strange ninja are really strong, so we need to train extra hard." He looks pleased with his own reasoning. "So, you're here to do that right? Train us more?" Kakashi favors him with a mildly approving look.

"No." The blond's expression falls almost comically. "But I guess," he continues, seemingly oblivious to his exasperated students, "if I'm already here, I can show you a thing or two. But not before I talk to your nee-san. So … go and warm up or something. Shoo." Hisana watches fondly as they leave, grumbling but mostly pleased. He _is_ a good teacher; team 7 is very lucky.

"What is it?" she murmurs, once the children are mostly out of earshot. He wouldn't play messenger boy for just anything. A frown tugs at his brow. "The Suna delegation has arrived," he starts, sounding somewhat wary.

"Yeah, I heard. Naruto very nearly ran head-first into his death." She hopes that the look she gives him adequately expresses just how she feels about that. He rubs his head.

"That boy. He met the Kazekage's youngest?"

"And the oldest, and the middle child. As far as I know Kankuro tried to instigate a fight with the Third's grandson. I'm not sure why they think picking on any Konoha kid is an acceptable pastime, but I'm actually angrier at their babysitter than them. Where the hell was the guy?"

"That's the problem," he grunts, looking as unhappy as she feels. "Nobody wants to start a fight with an unstable Jinchuuriki in the middle of the village, so he was probably watching but staying out of it. The Hokage's grandson though … that was risky. Good thing that Naruto has such a reckless sense for justice."

She can't help but nod. It's not nice to throw the brat under the bus, but he saved them a lot of trouble today. Even if it was Konohamaru, and even if it was only Kankuro who started the entire thing – picking a fight with the Kazekage's eldest son would have been a political nightmare. "So what?" she prompts after a moment, "You wanted to know … if I'm ok with that?"

He chortles. "No. I know you're better than that." Despite the dismissive words Hisana can't help but feel a little flattered. Praise from Kakashi is rare, even more so if it isn't wrapped in some sort of insult. "No," he repeats deliberately, "but I want to know how tempted you are to go up to them and start something. And I mean the truth." She looks him in the eye, trying to gauge if the statement was supposed to end with 'because I can arrange that' or 'because then I'll put a leash on you'.

"On a scale of one to ten? Four," she admits. "I want to hit someone, but I'll be fine with seeing Sasuke hit someone for me. Fingers crossed he gets Gaara."

Kakashi lifts a surprised brow at her.

"You _want_ him to fight Gaara?"

"In a controlled environment, with his Sharingan activated and about a hundred pairs of jounin eyes on his opponent? Hell yes." Her former teacher shakes his head, slowly, as if he can't quite believe her.

"That's good to know. And here I was worrying about how to restrain you if that happens." He stuffs his hands into his pockets and makes to leave, eyes fixed on the path to training ground six, where his team is already waiting. He only takes a few steps before tacking on, "Oh yeah, Ibiki wants you in T&I in – oh, about half an hour ago."

Hisana sputters at him, but he's already gone, trailing leaves and a mild breeze.

* * *

Ibiki glares at her, letting any stupid 'I got lost on the road of life' die on her tongue.

"Sorry," she finally settles on, trying for a little professionalism. "You know how he is."

The older ninja pinches the bridge of his broad nose. For a moment it looks as if he wants to say something unkind about either or both of them, before he seems to think better of it and waves a dismissive hand. "It doesn't matter. The first task is scheduled for the day after tomorrow, as you know. And we picked a number of younger chuunin and tokujou to oversee the task more intimately." She's aware. In fact, Hisana herself picked a few of her former classmates to plant among the contestants. "But after the confrontation between the Kazekage's children and the Sandaime's honored grandson I have decided to up the security."

Hisana nods absentmindedly. No shock there either. Suna has shown itself aggressive and uncaring of politics. While strategically not necessarily a wise choice, the first task certainly poses a target should they try something, and Ibiki is a very careful man. She can already see where this conversation is going, and instead of doing the sensible thing and refusing, the only thing she can really say is, "I can't do it alone."

He smiles at her, short and grimly pleased. "You won't be. Aburame Shizuha has been requesting a hand in it."

* * *

'How tempted are you to start something?' he said. Hisana presses the heels of her hands into her eyes. No wonder he wanted to be sure. There's no doubt in her mind that, if she'd answered in any other way, Kakashi would have conveniently forgotten to tell her about Ibiki. Insubordination is after all the very least of what her team leader has been accused.

The truth is, that in the quiet of her own company, she has absolutely no intention of engaging with the Suna siblings. There's lingering affection for Temari, certainy, but not nearly enough to make her want to go anywhere near Gaara, preferably ever again. It's been … a long time since her Chuunin Exams. Comparably, at least. She's seen worse things by now than an uncontrolled, bloodthirsty monster – very _controlled_ bloodthirsty monsters – and has made her peace terror and danger.

Really, she can only attribute her reluctance to see him to childhood trauma and the memory of helplessness; something she still doesn't deal well with. And yet, Hisana can't say for certain if it will stay that way when she really does meet him again. Because side by side with fear there's also anger, rage even, for reducing her to this. Putting Gaara into a room with the people she loves most and making her watch is potentially a very bad idea.

Ibiki knows that. It's been a sneaking suspicion before, but now she can't help but think that he must know. Maybe he's even counting on it, that when everyone else is frozen in shock, Hisana's anger will be enough to move her forward and into the path of destruction. While the general populace may have forgotten, someone like Ibiki will remember the rumors after the Kyuubi's attack: The only truly effective weapon against a Tailed Beast is the Sharingan. Hisana certainly remembers looking into the Ichibi's eyes and trying to force her will on it. A weak Sharingan against the weakest of the chakra demons, contained by a child, but there you have it – it worked well enough to save her life.

It's been two years since then and they must have both become stronger; there's no guarantee that it'll be enough this time. Hisana only hopes Ibiki isn't overestimating her.

* * *

Shizuha taps her pen against the report. Six chuunin – Inuzuka, Hyuuga, Yamanaka, a Nara or two … She flicks the folder closed, impatient and agitated. Truth is, the specifics of the Exams don't interest her very much. She's not part of the organizational team and her only stake in this is cousin Shino. Volunteering at such a late stage for a supervisory position has more to do with her wayward friend than with any personal investment.

Carefully, meticulously, she removes her glasses to clean them with the edge of her shirt. It's a nervous tick, not necessity, but the repetitive motions calm her pulse and keep the kikai from taking notice. It's been … four weeks. Updates on her oldest friend's well-being have been coming via Shiki's bored and haphazard reports, the Nara stuck between pity and exasperation. "If you want to talk to her so badly, why don't you go over there and kick her ass?"

But for all her brains and sharp eyes, there are things that Shiki just doesn't _get_ – mostly because Shizuha's feelings follow no logical path that she can follow. They just are. It's has to do with … pride maybe. She wants the Uchiha to come to her, the way she did before. Just one more time.

But the Nara is right. T&I is so far removed from everything else … she should have seen it coming right from the start; isolation is a regrettable side effect of her occupation. That doesn't mean she has to roll over and take it. It might be time to remind some people that she still exists.


	14. Chapter 14

Ok, so this took a while. I hope the next one will come easier. But thank you all very much for your reviews – they always motivate me a lot:)

* * *

"Oh _for fuck's sake_."

In the mirror Hana's cheshire grin stretches from ear to ear above Hisana's shoulder. The Uchiha glares at her.

"Don't mind me," the Inuzuka purrs. "I'm just here for the scent cover." She shakes a small glass phial at Hisana, the look of glee on her face very reminiscent of her younger brother.

"Stop watching," Hisana gripes, fiddling with her colored contacts. Not for the first time that day she curses Sasuke's genius. A regular genjutsu would have sufficed to conceal her from every normal, run-in-the-mill genin, but since her cousin, as the only other Sharingan user apart from Kakashi, and stupid Kiba are part of the Exam, Hisana has to actually go all out and disguise herself.

She blinks her eyes at the mirror, feeling the contacts swim uncomfortably. They're black, just like her own eyes, but they'll hopefully dim her Sharingan into a more inconspicuous muddy brown. Next to her a still very miffed Shizuha is sorting out an generic genin outfit for her, lips pursed primly. Hisana rubs at her eyes, trying not to feel exasperated. The Aburame has never been angry with her before. It's novel and entirely unappreciated experience, mainly because Shizuha appears to be the type to hold a grudge.

"Shizurin," she whines, "my eyes itch."

There's a moment of hesitation before the other girl turns back to her task, sewing the Ame symbol onto the sleeve of Hisana's new shirt. Hisana winces. Nobody can ignore you quite as aggressively as an Aburame can. In the past four hours she has apologized just as many times and has been forgiven just a bit more with each attempt. It looks as if she still has some groveling to do. Hana watches them with interest for a moment before tugging at Hisana's sleeve. "Enough of that already. Get naked, I don't have all day." Hisana throws her faux scandalized look.

"I'll have you know, I'm not that kind of girl."

"Yes," the Inuzuka agrees, mildly amused, "what was I thinking. If you want dinner first … I got dog biscuits in my pocket somewhere. Now hurry up before Ibiki busts in here." The older girl impatiently watches her strip and rub herself down with a scent blocker before wetting a cotton ball and strategically dabbing the false scent onto her skin. It's a bit weird to have the other girl prodding at her armpits with a cotton swab, but they both try to put on a professional face, even while Hisana keeps twitching reflexively. Another awkward moment ensues when Hana hands her the small bottle and a washcloth. "For … downstairs. Apply _liberally_." Across the room Shizuha coughs conspicuously.

"This is super invasive and I suddenly get why nobody wants to work in Infiltration," Hisana muses out loud.

"Nobody wants to work in Infiltration because Nara Shikaji is a despot," the Aburame informs her wryly, tugging Hisana's hair into a neat, flat braid while the Uchiha throws the washcloth into the laundry bin. Hana makes an agreeable noise.

"I wouldn't work for him if they paid me to. Which they would – generously, last I heard. Especially after someone apparently quit by throwing their chair at him."

"So that's the reason why nobody puts a Nara into positions of power," Hisana chortles, remembering Shiki's tyrannical tendencies. "Who would have thought."

In the end Hisana barely recognizes herself. The girl in the mirror is her size and built, but Hana stuffed her bra very generously and dabbed some dark lipstick onto her while Shizuha wrestled her hair under a short, brown wig. The outfit is just conservative enough to make her look uninteresting while still being distinctly foreign.

"All right, … 'Rie-chan'. I doubt you'll be around long enough to need the name, but better safe than sorry, I guess." Hana takes one last sniff of Hisana before nodding in satisfaction. The only one able to look under her disguise now might be Neji or Hinata, but they might still put the stuffed bra down to vanity, and it's not unusual for a ninja to wear a wig if their specialty is infiltration. She just wishes her hair would take dyes.

Her 'team' consists of Shizuha herself, wrapped in a poncho and cowl, and an older boy called Riku, who is apparently one of Hana's former teammates. Hisana thinks he'll have a hard time passing himself off as the right age, since even she and Shizuha are already a little older than many others, but then Hana forcefully shaves off his scruffy stubble and he promptly looks about five years younger.

"Thanks a lot," he grouches, rubbing his chin where the Inuzuka gripped him none too gently. "Your bedside manner is still atrocious I see."

"That's because I'm still not a doctor, asshole."

While certainly odd each in their own way, Hisana is pleased that they make somewhat of a congruous picture.

* * *

They wait for no more than half an hour to make their way to the examination room. There are already a few teams gathered; not enough to make them the strange latecomers, but enough as not to make them look like dangerous competition. One by one the teams file in after them. Across the room team 8 huddles into a corner, Hinata shielded from their curious competitors by her teammates. Team 10 gets dragged right into the thick of things by Ino, who seems to want to look at everyone at once. Neji and Tenten walk right past her without sparing any of them a look. And then finally team 7 arrives trailing behind the older genin with sour looks.

Sakura looks distinctively weirded out and Hisana muffles a badly timed laugh. Some things never change, she thinks wistfully, watching as Lee turns around to throw the kunoichi one last kiss. Sakura shivers uncomfortably. Just to be certain Hisana steps up to Riku, hiding herself behind his broad frame when Sasuke looks their way. She's rather confident in their disguises – few genin are actually observant enough to even see through a bit of makeup, much less an entire disguise – but Sasuke has surprised her before.

As the room fills up it gets progressively harder to actually spot anyone. The Suna siblings must be somewhere among the writhing, sweaty mass of genin, but Hisana isn't too motivated to seek out Gaara's red hair in the crowd. She catches a glimpse of white hair heading towards team 7 and remembers with a start that Kabuto has a role to play right here. "If you keep watching them they'll catch you for real," Riku warns her, steering Hisana away from her cousin's team and towards the front of the room. She goes without protest; there's no reason to sound the alarm yet – she doesn't actually have any proof that Sound is up to no good, much less that a Konoha shinobi would have anything to do with it.

A burst of smoke announces Ibiki's arrival. He bellows at the irritable Oto ninja, his voice making even the contestants in the back rows wince. The front row squirms, apparently even more uncomfortable at the sinister look on his face. Her team parts ways when they are sent to their seats. Hisana slides onto a chair in the very back, Sharingan flaring to live under her contacts. She blinks, slightly irritated as they start swimming again, aggravated by her chakra.

It's weird to watch so many people with her advanced vision instead of just one or two. Every little movement catches her eye; perfect for catching suspicious behavior, but sure to give her a headache in no time flat.

Gaara's blood red hair is like a beacon even among the more outrageous colorings of the contestants. _Sada_ , she thinks, distantly remembering Suna's red-headed clan of Doton users. Could it really be? Even from three rows away she can feel the low current of killing intent that he constantly seems to emit and it settles like a stone in her stomach. It's still vividly familiar but doesn't produce the expected panic. Maybe because he hasn't seen her yet, she muses, for a moment forgetting to keep an eye out for anything else. She sweeps her eyes over the crowd while scribbling down a few answers absentmindedly.

At the very front Kankurou struggles with his questions, his head twitching right until one of the proctors marches past him and he straightens up considerably. Not too far away Temari's blonde head is bowed over her sheet, hand working furiously. Reassured, Hisana's gaze returns to the youngest sibling. His seat neighbors, a Kusa kunoichi and a Kumo shinobi, have started to lean away from him, even though the red-head hasn't given a single outward sign of hostility. A lot of them are probably not yet familiar with killing intent. She watches a drop of sweat trail down the girl's neck before she rubs it away furiously; it's possible that she doesn't even know why she's so afraid.

Her seat neighbor leans over to peek at her test paper rather artlessly; she glares at him. It's good to know, Hisana thinks as he stiffens and looks away, that the evil look works even without the Sharingan and the Uchiha name behind it. Not a second later a kunai thinks down on the boy's paper. "Get your ass out of here," Kotetsu sneers at him. "Idiot." Her entire seating row starts to sweat.

The task is expectedly uneventful. Every once in a while she lets a sneaky genin have a look at her test paper and every now and then she allows one who's not so sneaky, silently delighting when they get caught. But apart from the expected bustle of the contestants and the occasional scuffle with the proctors, things are quiet. Ibiki is silent and stone-faced at the front, not allowing his eyes to linger on the Suna siblings, consummated professional that he is. He's memorized every single seat, contestants and proctors alike, and Hisana doesn't think she in his stead could resist the temptation of seeking feedback. Some things, she muses must come with age rather than rank.

"Ok," her superior's voice finally breaks the silence. "We will now come to the tenth question." The reaction is subtle but immediate; even Gaara tenses in anticipation. Hisana observes the following outrage cautiously. There's a lot of authentic emotion involved, even among the Suna ninja. She's not sure what that means, but it's possible that not all of the genin are actually involved. Or maybe just that they'll receive their orders later on.

Naruto's outburst of, "Don't underestimate me!" garners equally genuine reactions; she watches Neji's face twist in scorn four seats over, sees Hinata sit up a little straighter, and hears Kiba scoff fondly two rows down. They're a bunch of puppies yet, but already the chess board is being set up for something bigger.

Hisana makes a show of dithering over her own decision, but obediently sits down again when the mood shifts into something a lot more hopeful. She can't quite disguise the fond quirk of her mouth when Naruto crosses his arms, obviously pleased with himself, even when she catches Riku's reproachful eyes. She shrugs at him.

The fact that Anko literally crashes the exam surprises exactly no one who knows her even a little. Ibiki's pleased expression still flattens in exasperation. 'Seriously?' she can see him mouth at her and Anko's feral grin only stretches wider. She cocks her hips provocatively and throws back her cloak. It billows in an appropriately dramatic fashion.

"I'm the proctor of the second part," she announces, eyes bright, while Ibiki's hand hits his forehead with a loud smacking noise.

"Follow me!" she demands, trying to ignore him. Hisana watches the assembled genin go through several interesting expressions while Anko makes a fool out of herself and then starts to gripe about their number and herds them out of the room like sheep to the slaughter.

Her team melts into the gobsmacked crowd unnoticed, even while the rest of the proctors abandon their disguises. "Well, that was boring. I really thought something would be up," Riku grouches, throwing a bemused look at Naruto's blank test as they pass by.

"Be glad," Hisana chides mildly. "I'd rather nothing at all happened." Her eyes catch on Hyuuga Hinata, jittery but victorious, her own gaze fixed onto Naruto as she staggers from the room. Kiba and Akamaru trail after her, the boy's expression exasperated. Shino stops to look at them for a moment, eyes dragging over the back of Shizuha's head, entirely concealed by her cowl, and Hisana's heart rate rackets up a few notches. But then he too follows his teammate out the door.

Her own Aburame watches the crowd with an absent-minded expression, apparently oblivious to their close brush with her cousin. "Sabaku no Gaara," she starts, sounding hesitant. "You've met him before." It's not really a question; Hisana told her friends about Suna, even if she chose her words carefully then. Shizuha has also definitely been briefed, so she must know that Hisana is the cause of their distrust towards Wind.

"Yes," she says carefully, eyes flickering towards their last team member carefully. But Riku only averts his gaze pointedly and wanders off alongside the other contestants.

"You know how to find me," he says and disappears neatly into a throng of Kusa ninja.

The two girls stare at each other.

"Be careful," the Aburame finally says, chewing on her lip uncomfortably. It's not like her to voice such a clear opinion, especially not when Ibiki so obviously intends otherwise to happen. But Hisana only nods. As long as Suna keeps quiet, she can honestly say that that's the plan. One of the examiner chuunin brushes by them. She can't say if it was on purpose to get them moving or not, but it does call their attention back to the rapidly emptying room. Shizuha hooks her arm under Hisana's and they follow the last people out into the hall.


	15. Chapter 15

All right guys! My hiatus is officially nearing its end.

I did finish my thesis (yay for me!) so I had some time to finish this chapter. Oral exams are still a thing though, so I'll likely disappear for a while again – don't worry, I'm super persistent. This. Gets. Finished. (even if it kills me)

Honestly though, I feel like I've been writing this story for the last ten years, so I'm not giving up on it.

 **Also** : over 300 reviews! Guys, you're amazing and I love you lots:D I logged in one day and my phone nearly blew up with all the new comments. Thank you so much!

So here's an **extra** at the end, you definitely earned it.

* * *

There are guards stationed in the Forest of Death, but none of them are Hisana. She's … reluctantly fine with that. Yes, anxiety is crawling under her skin like fire ants, but on the whole she's fine. There's nothing much she can do against Orochimaru, after all – not strategically and definitely not in combat. She doesn't want that man anywhere near team seven, but she also realizes that she's currently scraping very closely along her own limits.

It helps that Anko is a blood hound. This test is the very first major thing that anyone has ever entrusted to her. It's an unspoken fact that, if she fucks this up, it might very well be the last one too. And so the kunoichi is watching everything and everyone with hawk-like eyes, teeth bared in only a vague approximation of a smile. As soon as she smells anything fishy, Hisana and Hana will be the first to know, so that they can contain the mess before Ibiki can draw and quarter them all.

Also, there's a report she needs to write on the last test. A short and boring one, but T&I are sticklers for the rules, and so she tries to cram as many details into it as possible. Next to her Shizuha is leaning so far over her paper, her glasses are slowly sliding down her nose. On the other side of the table Riku is clicking his pen in annoyance. "This," he says with feeling, "is the reason why I would be totally fine never to specialize."

"On average, specialized ninja earn thirty percent less than specialized ninja of the same rank," Shizuha murmurs, pen still scraping rhythmically against her paper.

The whole situation feels inane. There is an invasion planned – they should be doing something. Something other than filling out B14 forms ('Undercover work', sub-type 'Sabotage').

"Paperwork makes me sleepy," Hisana grouches, signing her registration number at the bottom with big, messy strokes, even while the rest of the paper is still mostly blank.

"You better wake up now though," Hana's voice sounds from the door. Her face is pale and her mouth pinched. "We got a problem."

* * *

They abandon a worried Shizuha and a suspicious Riku with little explanation. "What's going on?" Hisana hisses at the other girl, even though she's already relatively certain she knows.

"We just found a bunch of Ame-nin pretty much ripped to shreds and nobody has any idea how it happened. None of the guards saw or heard a thing, even though a team was stationed not a hundred yards away."

"What about the cameras?"

"Blind spot. That's already suspicious enough, but you should have seen Anko's face when she looked at the remains. I think we're in pretty deep shit."

Hisana doesn't have to fake the shaky sigh that escapes her. It's one thing to know everyone would be freaking out, seeing it is quite another."Nobody has sounded the alarms yet," the Inuzuka continues, "because we don't want to cause a panic if we're wrong. But I'm pretty sure Anko knows what she's talking about."

"Does Ibiki know?"

"Well, he knows _something'_ s up. But as far the rest of the committee is concerned, we're handling it until we say otherwise."

"I'm not sure if that's wise." It's a token-protests. She already knows that it's extremely unwise and that they should probably call the entire task off right the fuck now. The problem is, without at least confirming that it's Orochimaru they don't have enough in hand to just shut everything down. Right now it just looks as if there's a sadist loose in the forest. Well, two. Killing isn't exactly prohibited during the exam, even though it's frowned upon during the early rounds. The only actual problem is that nobody knows how it happened – and a lack of information is something that ninjas don't deal with well.

"Could it have been … Gaara?" Hisana prompts, eager to keep the other girl talking; she needs to be updated, so that she doesn't have to act deaf and dumb around everyone. Hana snorts.

"No. That boy leaves a trail of destruction in his wake that isn't very hard to follow. Dead bodies, uprooted trees, and screams the like of which I haven't heard since mom kicked out my father." Hisana winces. The stories about that particular incidence are varied, numerous and usually wild from start to finish. Conversation stops for a moment as they pass two chuunin. The two men nod at them amicably and Hisana forces herself to smile back. "Whoever that was," Hana murmurs as soon as they're alone again, "tricked a whole squad of tokujous with surveillance specialization – that means they're either too good to be genin or they had outside help. Possibly both." Hana's eyes say 'definitely both'.

As soon as they're out of the door, they break into a run.

* * *

Anko awaits them at the gates to training ground 44 with an uncharacteristic frown. Next to her a familiar, fussy looking chuunin teacher is scribbling notes onto a clipboard, painted lips pinched and eyebrows raised. The 'I told you so', directed at basically everyone who entrusted Anko with even a shred of responsibility, hangs in the air loud and clear. Hisana inserts herself between them, ignoring the slighted sputter of the chuunin.

"All right, we're here. Don't tell me the party started without us." Anko's face stays grim; like this she looks unfamiliar and almost threatening. Hisana remembers seeing this expression only once: when the woman had a bunch of genin to protect against a team of jounin, her only back-up face down in the grass.

"We have a snake," is all she says. Most of the gathered ninja don't seem to catch the reference; only a couple of eyebrows shoot upwards.

"A big one?" Hisana probes. "The biggest," is the only answer.

"No, we don't," the annoyed chuunin sensei snaps from behind Hisana. "There's absolutely no proof of this. Orochimaru of the Sannin has vanished years ago. He won't suddenly appear during a Chuunin Exam and kill a team of Ame genin."

"He will if it's an infiltration," Anko hisses back. "He's not stupid, you know. He may be working with Suna, or at least use them as a cover to follow his own goals. I _recognize_ his work."

The other woman rolls her eyes exaggeratedly. "You do realize," Hana quips, "that one of his most well-known feats was instigating a small-scale civil war to cover the theft of a single scroll, don't you? This sounds like it would be right up his alley."

"Exactly," Anko grunts, apparently uncertain whether to be pleased or not. "In any case, we have to investigate. I'm just saying we should be ready for anything."

The other woman shakes her head. "Fine. I will inform the committee. But if it turns out that it was only … _the surveillance squad falling asleep_ , you will be in deep trouble!"

With that she departs, long skirt trailing in her wake.

"Oh for the love of –" Hana glares at her back. "I hate that woman. What does she think we are? A bunch of genin? As if an entire squad would fall asleep in the middle of a mission."

"Forget her," Anko interrupts. "We have bigger fish to fry. As you heard" – and here she sneers something fierce – "this is our problem until we can prove it's either Orochimaru or Suna. Most of our team is already stationed in the forest and on alert. We need volunteers for the investigation. Scrape together whoever you trust and who isn't busy – we need at least two teams. You have fifteen minutes. Go."

* * *

Hisana needs twelve minutes to get her team together. The first five she spends in a bit of a daze, stunned to realize how many choices she actually has right now. She's never seen herself as popular and if someone were to inquire about the size of her social circle, the answer would have been 'small but close'. It's a punch to the gut to realize that this answer wouldn't be true anymore. Even if she limits her choices to chuunin and above, there's Shiki and Shizuha, her entire genin team including Kohaku-sensei, Kakashi-senpai and Tenzou, and even Akimichi Choumei and Yamanaka Inomaru. There's also an entire bunch of acquaintances that might agree to help her out – Hyuuga Airi, Iruka-sensei, Ito-sensei, Inori-sensei, a bunch of Inuzuka tokujous from the tracking department, … and the list goes on. For a brief, uncomfortable moment she realizes that she _needs_ Sasuke to stay in Konoha – because she's not certain anymore if she'd be able to follow him.

Of course, many of her choices are out, simply because they're someone's genin teacher, already otherwise part of the committee, or generally busy elsewhere. But Ran and Fudo drag in Sora and Haru in a matter of minutes, and Hisana herself has Shizuha by the hand and Shiki by the scuff of her neck even faster. Finally, trailing after Sora, uninvited but not unwelcome, Mami Hanada arrives too.

"Guys," Hisana announces greatly, "I have a mission. It might kill us all, but I need your help."

"So business as usual," Sora grumbles, fingering the small puncture holes in his pants where Fudo sank his teeth in. "Your summons are so fucking rude." Next to him Haru is hugging Ran like a stuffed animal, casting his former teammate exasperated and pitying looks.

"Wow," Hana quips from between a pack of her rugged clansmen and their animal partners. "Love your team, Hisana."

Hisana's eyes glide over her make-shift squad: To her left, Shizuha is still holding her hand, eyes directed into the forest and completely unmoving. To her right, Shiki still sporadically struggles against her hold, pouting like a child. Then there's Sora, still kneeling in the dirt to glare at his pant legs, sandwiched between a murderous looking Hanada and Mitsuharu, who looks increasingly uncomfortable and has now gathered both of her summons into his arms.

"…Shut up," she grumbles.

They may look like a bunch of wimps and weirdoes, but she trusts these people. Even Hanada, who doesn't need to be here but has yet to actually complain. Anko claps her hands only once and everyone snaps to attention.

"Debriefing," she announces. "We have an anomaly in sector 29B. A team of genin has been eviscerated. The nearby surveillance team hasn't noticed a damn thing and our cameras caught zilch. Our goal is to track down the responsible party – or parties – and assess if we can let them loose on the contestants or if we need to take them out." So far so good, Hisana thinks, watching the unimpressed faces of her team. "The problem is," Anko continues sharply, "that this may be a precursor to an attack on Konoha."

The Inuzuka team flinches as a whole; Hanada's face whirls towards Hisana, who only manages to send her a grim look. Most of her friends are aware that Hisana's run in with Gaara has Konoha up in arms against Suna. Hanada is not one of them. But even Sora and Haru only just seem to realize how serious the situation is. Hisana grimaces as both of her former teammates glower at her in reproach.

"The most likely perpetrator is Suna," the older kunoichi continues, undisturbed by the murmurs going through her ranks. "We don't know what they want from us but it isn't good." Anko rubs her forehead. She's slipping in and out of the more formal debriefing language and it's not like her at all. Hisana and Hana exchange worried glances. "But I tell you, to hell with 'most likely'. It isn't Suna. We have a Sannin on the loose here, and you all know who it's going to be."

"Well, shit," one of the Inuzuka grunts. His nin-dog whines, low and nervous. There's a moment of silence as everyone quietly panics to themselves. Then Anko whistles and everyone straightens visibly, nervous people replaced by dutiful soldiers.

"Even a Sannin is only a ninja," she reminds them. "And ninjas die. We'll track down whoever's responsible and do our duty. So suck it up. Everyone, follow me!"

The forest looms ominously, but the place itself doesn't scare Hisana anymore. It's more what it represents that unsettles her. She can hear the quiet steps of a giant tiger sneak past and the buzzing of the monstrous insects – all of it is reasonably familiar by now; the scariest thing in this place is far smaller and makes no noise.

They follow Anko in a tight formation. It's silly to think that numbers can protect them. It only makes it statistically more likely that one of them is going to die; a better person than Hisana might have called on people that aren't her friends. But she does feel safer in such a large group and the familiar chakra signatures around her do soothe her baser instincts. It only takes five minutes to reach the bodies and she can smell them already two minutes into their run. He didn't even bother to hide them, she thinks derisively. How arrogant.

Anko is right: even Sannin are mortal, no matter how much Orochimaru may wish otherwise. Hisana's fists clench without her consent. She doesn't care for the Ame-nin, they're strangers, but the sloppiness of the kill enrages her. This man plans to kill the Hokage and take over her village – the very least he could do is take it seriously.

"See this?" their team leader prompts, prodding one of the bodies with her foot. "It almost looks like she exploded. Except, there's no blast radius. All of her blood is centered around here. Something slowly ripped her apart from the inside." Anko casts them a pregnant look. "As if something shed her like a skin."

The kunoichi's jaw has come unhinged and the skin around her neck looks flabby and loose. Mostly she's stayed in one piece, but there are parts that look ripped, as if a sausage split out of its skin. Her team mates lie a few feet away, the cause of death clearly a kunai to the neck.

"They died at least fifteen minutes earlier," Shizuha remarks, kneeling down next to the remains of a slim shinobi. She opens his mouth and peers inside. "Ten to fifteen," she amends. Next to Hisana, Shiki makes an unhappy noise.

"Agreed," Hana throws out. Anko nods, looking grimly satisfied.

"All right. Hana, you're with me. Hisana, I want you to wait here for orders. If we lose contact for more than ten minutes, inform Ibiki."

Hisana nods, feeling uneasy. She already knows what'll happen. As soon as Orochimaru gives them the slip – and he will – he'll go after Sasuke. And Hisana has no idea where in this damn forest her cousin might be. There's a very real chance won't make it there in time.

* * *

"Do you really think it's Orochimaru of the Sannin?" Haru murmurs. He looks worried, white brows furrowed and face pale.

"Yeah," she confesses, equally quiet. "You ok?" He shakes his head a little but then shrugs helplessly. It's a feeling Hisana knows all too well. They're never ok, but they do their duty. To be honest, she never really thought Haru was cut out for this job; he's too soft. But he's too good to end as an academy teacher. As far as Hisana knows, he's applied twice already and they always tell him the same thing: Stay on the active roster for a few more years. Come back when you're older. It's a platitude – there's no guarantee he'll be alive a few years from now and they know it. But Haru is surprisingly resilient. Something tells her he'll make it yet, even just to stick it to administration. Maybe as a jounin sensei.

"Don't think about it too much," she tells him. "You're not alone in this. Thank you for coming." He shrugs again, this time with a smile.

"What," he says, "you think we'd let you get killed by yourself?"

"Nah. You guys would want to see if I really bite it."

"Exactly. I don't believe it unless I see it with my own two eyes." And then he adds, "Even then, maybe not," before peering suspiciously into her eyes. Hisana grins.

The urgent beep of her com startles them both.

"Enemy contact!" Anko's voice barks. "It's Orochimaru – he got away! Two men down. We need medics and reinforcements!"

Hisana whirls around. "Ran, Ibiki! Fudo, hospital!"

"Yes, m'am!" they chirp and melt into the undergrowth.

"Everyone, let's go. Anko, where did he go?"

"In the direction of sector 12C," comes the static-y response. "He's moving _fast_."

"Well, then we'll have to be fast too. Shizurin, up front with me."

She's never moved through a forest this fast. Even in active pursuit, there's an element of pacing yourself, so that you don't confront the enemy tired and out of breath. But right now it's a sprint more than a long distance run; they don't have the luxury of a persistence run. Tensions are high and every genin team that foolishly mistakes them for fellow competitors is mercilessly swiped aside by either a stone-faced Sora or a viciously efficient Hanada. Orochimaru's scent is faintly familiar. It's sharp and chemical and only the barest traces of it clung to the corpse he'd left behind. If not for that, she might have mistaken him for a medic-nin. She can smell Sasuke too, as well as a healthy amount of earth-shattering, debilitating fear.

"Ohhhh god," Shiki chokes out behind her and then a wave killing intent sweeps over them. For just a moment she's back in that bunker, darkness all around, only fear and paranoia driving her. Then she shakes it off. "What the hell," she grunts, angry at herself. Someone breathes out shakily. "Get moving!" she hisses and her team snaps to attention.

"Go," Sora hisses. "Go, go, go, before I turn around and run in the other direction."

"Agreed," is Shiki's dour pronouncement.

They burst in on team 7 with all the theatrics of an ANBU squad. For a moment Hisana loses sight of everything – her team, Sakura, Naruto – hit by relief and panic both at once. They're so lucky, so incredibly lucky to arrive in the nick of time, and so she throws herself at Sasuke just before the Sannin's teeth can sink into his neck. They roll off the tree and straight into free fall.

Above them Orochimaru snarls.

* * *

 **Extra** : Ran & Fudo

„You look exactly like him, you know."

Hisana slants a look at her new summon. Fudo rolls onto his back, wriggling until he sinks into the space between her legs. "Scratch," he commands, claws pointing at his belly.

"You're not going to gas me when I do, are you?" she prompts suspiciously.

"Not if you do it right," he wheedles, wriggling again until she sinks her nails into his fur. Ran watches them with half-lidded eyes. "If I look at you like so," she hums, "it's almost as if you were him."

"Thought you give better scratches," her brother adds. "Shisui always squeezed too hard. I'm delicate!" He sounds wistful, though; almost as if he missed it.

"I didn't think you were supposed to pet summons in the first place," Hisana quips. "It's … undignified." Both skunks snort at her.

"You think we'd have survived with your brother if we cared about things like dignity?" Ran actually manages to look incredulous, even with her furry face and no eyebrows. "I kissed my dignity good-bye the day he summoned us because he dropped a bunch of scrolls into a gutter. Do I look like a dog to you? Or a rat? Skunks don't fetch – or at least we didn't use to."

"That lazy asshole," Hisana snorts before she can catch herself. Something about the story resonates with her and she hates and loves it both. It's so much easier not to mourn him if she doesn't think of him as a real person.

"'Lazy' is right," Ran grunts. "'Ran, I forgot my mission scroll at home, can you get it?', 'Ran, I'm out of kunai, can you fetch some for me?', 'Ran, I have mission report, can you deliver that?'".

Fudo lifts his head just enough to glare at his sister.

"Will you stop complaining? At least he made you do important stuff. With me it was always 'Fudo, I left my lunch at home' or 'Fudo, I'm thirsty'. I was literally the food delivery service."

"Because he asked you to deliver a report _once_ , and you lost it!"

"It was _stolen_ from me!"

"You know what, you two were too much alike! Do you see what I had to deal with?" she addresses Hisana, fur bristling, before strutting up to her brother. "You two. Were exactly. The same. Person – one soul in the bodies of a human and a damn skunk."

Hisana watches them squabble, feeling weirdly nostalgic. By now the siblings are a single ball of fur on her lap, playfully snarling and snapping at each other. In then end she carefully pries them apart and the immediately go lip in her grip.

"All right," she says. "Behave. I don't play fetch either, but I can't promise I won't forget my lunch occasionally." Fudo wriggles in her grip and Hisana smiles. "But I'm springing for food this time."

* * *

I'm still taking suggestions for extras, btw:)


	16. Chapter 16

Guys, can you believe it – there's a new chapter. Though I've got to warn you:

 **I stand by what I said in my bio** : Officially, I'm still on **hiatus**. I still don't have a job (god, help me) so I'll have to focus on that. But for right now I'll just … define hiatus as 'Don't hold your breath'.

I'll also owe you an extra because reached 400 (!) comments, but I'm all out of ideas right now:/ In that vein: I'm still taking prompts.

Also, I love you guys, as always, and read all your comments with starry eyes and much gushing. You keep me going; essentially this chapter is all on you.

* * *

There's nothing to break their fall.

Hisana tries to turn them into a more controlled descent, tries to hold onto something, hands pumped full of chakra so that they don't shred to pieces from the sheer force of the impact. But her fingers slide through the wood like butter, spraying them with splinters and dust. Sasuke is dead weight in her grip. For a tense fifteen seconds they spiral through the air, then they hit the ground hard enough to knock the breath out of her. Sasuke's weight ramming into her stomach doesn't help.

Hisana curses, low and vicious. That was stupid – necessary but incredibly stupid. Sasuke coughs above her, flecking her chin with blood. Sounds of battle drift downward and she pushes him off callously. "Anko?" she taps her com a few times until it crackles to life, dinged but functional. "Enemy contact – sector 12B. Three Konoha genin down. Anko, can you hear me?"

"Got you," comes the terse reply. "Hana is on her way." There's a short pause, before she adds, "We lost two. Don't you dare let him get away."

This time, Hisana bites back the curses; her back aches something fierce. Next to her Sasuke climbs unsteadily to his feet, shaking off the impact easy as you please. "Stay with me," she grunts, taking hold of his wrist as he tries to wipe his face. "Don't leave my sight."

"Sakura," he says, Sharingan straining towards where Naruto must still be pinned to the tree.

"I know. We'll get them. We only need to hold him off until ANBU arrives." She dusts off her pants, cracks her neck. For a moment they stare at each other, jittery with adrenaline, then they kick off the ground, racing to where the noise is loudest.

Only halfway back up, an explosion sends two figures hurtling towards them. Hisana snatches one of them out of the air, the other is swallowed by a swarm of kikkai and promptly disappears. Sora is heavy as hell as she drags his unconscious form up with her.

"Come on," she snaps. "Wake up! It's not usually so easy to shut you up." The answer is a sudden death grip on her wrist as well as a serious stink eye. "Haru," he says and Hisana has to grin despite the situation. Boys are all the same.

"I'm getting there – you need to take the genin. There's … something not right here. He's attacking them. I don't know what he wants from a bunch of genin, but ..."

"But's its not directions to the exit," he agrees, winding out of her hold and attaching himself to the tree. His grip is awkward but seems firm enough. Sasuke watches them nervously; any minute now he'll bolt and leave them behind. That arrogant block-head. She shoots him a warning glare.

"Sasuke, grab your teammates and get the hell out of here. Head towards the tower and don't let anyone stop you. Screw the scrolls." He hesitates for a precious second before giving a nod. A shiver crawls down Hisana's spine as she watches her cousin run back towards his teammates – back towards the Sannin that is still after his neck.

Then her attention is drawn back to Sora, whose eyes are uncharacteristically serious. "Be careful," he grinds out. "I'm coming back as soon as I can." He speeds after Sasuke without a backwards glance. Good. He can't be distracted right now – not even by his team. Hisana isn't particularly proud of it, but right now she'd happily throw Sora and Haru both under the bus for Sasuke. Maybe it's because of the little voice in her head that insists both of her teammates would take that hit, shake it off and go back to business as usual. Sasuke is still far, far too young for this.

There's no warning except for a quiet rustle of leaves as Orochimaru's head breaks through the foliage, maw closed dangerously around Sasuke's shirt even while Sora's arm is still wrapped around him.

The Sannin's body follows not two seconds after, Haru and Hanada hot on his heels. Ninja wire spans between them as they try to circle him. It cuts into the long neck, splitting the skin and then – a burst of smoke and the clone is gone.

Something flickers from below as another head strikes at them like a viper. For a split second Hisana can see the twisted visage of it in great detail, eyes wild with the scent of prey, then it shoots past her. She punches the neck, sending the head careening into the next tree like a pendulum. More people drop down from above, trailing a great net of rope and ninja wire.

But a giant katon jutsu blows into the fragile looking construction, setting the entire thing on fire. In retaliation Shiki starts swinging the burning rope at the Sannin, hitting him square in the face. The whip lash does little to impress the jounin. In fact, none of the gathered ninja seem to be anything but a mild annoyance to him. His eyes are still on Sasuke, shielded behind Sora's back, and to a lesser extent Naruto, slung over Shizuha's shoulder like a ragdoll.

Hisana circles them, catching the blond genin as Shizuha throws him at her, and puts herself between the increasingly angry Sannin and her cousin. Another katon jutsu shaves past her; the scent of burnt hair fills Hisana's nose, but she doesn't stop. Instead she sidesteps a volley of kunai and ducks behind Sora's back. "Where's Sakura?" she hisses, watching as Hanada slices the remains of their net into reusable cords.

"I gave her my com and send her towards reinforcements," the girl grunts. "That little genin is more sensible than both of her teammates put together." Naruto starts to stir in her arms, and Hisana can't help but agree. Once both boys are awake there's no chance in hell that they'll leave without making a fuss; neither of them has any self-preservation instinct and instead double the amount of self-confidence strictly necessary.

She foists the blond genin onto Hanada and winds a firm hand into the back of Sora's shirt.

"When I say 'go', you two make a run for it."

For a moment Hanada looks scandalized but Sora nods easily and so she merely huffs and sulks in silence – a good thing, too, since Hisana wants nothing more than to grab the kids and run herself. But as the team leader she can't. It's just not done; even if everyone else flees, she needs to hold out until Anko and Ibiki are here. Captain of a sinking ship, she thinks grimly as Orochimaru's eyes fix on her.

"Oho," he says, voice smooth and strangely cultured. "So it is true. And to think I doubted my sources." He clucks his tongue, face pensive. "Pity – so I killed them over nothing."

Everyone tenses almost at once, not only at the mention of spies but also at the brash revelation of the Sannin's goal. Hisana can see Shiki's eyes flickering back and forth between Sasuke and Orochimaru and then finally towards her with a mildly alarmed expression.

"Good help's hard to find," Hisana says, feeling only a little sick. "Maybe you should be a little more careful with your resources." He smiles at her, perfectly friendly despite the killing intent leaking back into the air.

"Oh, I'm very careful when it's about the right resources. I'm in the process of acquisition right now, if you can believe it."

"We're not up for sale."

At this the Sannin finally starts to laugh, loud and over the top, as if the entire situation were just a short and amusing stop on his way, as if they're only delaying the inevitable by minutes.

"My dear, you misunderstand the situation – I'm not looking to buy; I'm seizing."

His grin seems to split his face in two and Hisana knows the fun is officially over. There's only just time to throw a 'Go!' over her shoulder before a giant head breaks through the forest floor.

The snake is bigger than anything she's yet encountered on training ground 44 and its eyes are too sharp and intelligent for a regular animal. It strikes out at them, scattering her team across the clearing and uprooting trees. Unfortunately Orochimaru isn't content to simply watch the chaos unfold.

A choked off scream echoes through the dust and debris that rains down on them. Hisana's head whips around. "Sora!"

"Go!" Shiki squawks, barely avoiding a rattle tail crashing down on her. "We've got this. _Kage nui no Jutsu_."

There's no time to account for everyone. Hisana stumbles through the battlefield, valiantly ignoring the snake summon's livid stream of 'Die! Die! Die!'. Her eyes are fixed on her former teammate, desperately trying to engage the enemy while Sasuke dithers behind him.

The next minutes are pure chaos.

The giant snake summon comes crashing down on all of them, head thrashing, before it explodes into smoke. The force of the dispel catapults everyone headlong into the forest, skittering through the undergrowth and smacking into trees. Hisana's Sharingan flash, her head sparking with shocks of pain. The world fades in and out for what might be only seconds but feels far longer.

"Get up, get up!" a familiar voice hisses into her ear. Teeth sink into her leg and for one panicked moment she thinks only of snake fangs and cursed seals, but the pain is far too feeble for that. "Get it together," Fudo snaps; he's wobbling on his feet, banged up, but whole. Around Hisana, the forest is worryingly silent.

"This is completely out of control," she moans. "Fudo, where is your sister?"

"Around here; I can smell her."

"Good. We need a genjutsu, and fast."

The skunk chatters unhappily at her. "If he's here for Sasuke, he must have come prepared for that."

"For offensive genjutsu, maybe. Get Ran – we're flooding this entire sector."

It's the first time they're using this kind of genjutsu on such a large scale. But even considering the situation, Hisana is reasonably confident it'll buy them some time. It only takes seconds for her to spin the illusion – the chirping of birds, so loud that nothing else registers, the glare of sunlight so harsh that it hurts the eye, and the ripple of shadows so deep nothing can penetrate them. It's a subtle one, usually only the groundwork for something more invasive. But for this purpose it'll be enough.

A Sannin is too good to be mislead by it and stumble over his own feet, but the trick is a different one.

"You got this?" she murmurs, half caught up in her own genjutsu.

"Got it."

"Then go."

The skunks are fast; in less than two minutes they'll have attached olfactory triggers all over the sector. To break the jutsu, Orochimaru will have to find and destroy _all_ of them. Nearly impossible without getting the entire forest up in arms, the thinks with a grin, slinking into one of her deep shadows and disappearing.

* * *

Shunshin is the most useful jutsu in combination.

The illusion is like a grid, laid out in front of her in eerie lights and faint sounds. Sasuke, even with his rudimentary Sharingan, will figure out how to hide in her artificial darkness. The rest of her team, probably not so much. It feels like cheating. Hisana hates cheating; even as a ninja there should be something like a code of honor. But right now the Sharingan, for the first time ever, feel like a blessing. It also paints a big, fat target on her clan's back but at least she can also use it to get out of this mess. It's not a fix-all, but it'll do. Now, the only thing left to do is find either her cousin or the Sannin – whoever crosses her path first.

 _Left_ , her brain screams, before she can process the information. Hisana ducks and a snake shoots over her head, thick as the arm of a grown man. Its fangs sink into a tree hard enough to make it rattle. It catches her right in the middle of a Shunshin and – what the hell, why is it so fast?

"That was a nice idea," it comes mildly from behind. A pair of arms slinks around her shoulders and a chin hooks over her head. "But you forgot something." Orochimaru takes a deep, exaggerated breath; it rattles threateningly and, high on panic, Hisana wonders if it's a coincidence. "You see, snakes have an excellent sense of smell. Your triggers lack some … finesse, I'm afraid."

Her fist hits him right in the jaw, cracking against his teeth, before the clone goes up in smoke.

"I see the family resemblance now." Her head whips around and there he is again, eyes lazily shuttered against the jutsu but tongue darting out to taste the air. "You and Sasuke-kun are both very stubborn – how unfortunate."

Anger and fear, when channeled the right way, make powerful motivators. And Dokushin, for all its simplicity, is made for speed. It clashes against Orochimaru's blade with a sickly _clang_ and immediately Hisana realizes just how hopelessly outclassed she is. They trade blows so hard and fast, she can barely keep up even with the Sharingan burning painfully. The Sannin's eyes are still half closed, in awareness of her dangerous kekkei genkai but also definitely in arrogance.

Kusanagi scrapes past her face, and as blood and hair flies she can only pray it's not poisonous. Hisana twists below the blade and around, and as they turn in circles Orochimaru's grin grows. She catches him with the flat of the blade but it only startles a huff out of him. _Please let Sasuke be gone_ , she thinks in panic. _Please let someone have grabbed him and run_.

Because there's no winning this. This is a game and unless a miracle happens right this moment, she's going to die or worse. Her teeth grind audibly.

"Now, that's enough – Hisana-chan, you wouldn't want to actually get hurt."

Kusanagi pierces her chest, splitting skin and gnashing past bones. For a moment everything stills; the sound of her genjutsu flickers and dies, the noises of the forest dim. But her heart beats loudly and her pulse rushes. The blade withdraws with a slick spurt of blood, almost innocuous in size. It hurts, but it's bearable _. I can do this – this is still okay_. The Sannin reaches for her but she bats him away. This time it's annoyance that she reads on his face. It only fuels her determination.

"Pigheaded," he snarls, "just like your cousin. But I'm not making the same mistake twice."

There's no time to be confused; his head strikes out to bite her and Hisana instinctively reaches out to stop it. Her hands wrap around Orochimaru's face, fingers digging into his eyes and nails scraping at his strange, rubbery skin. But the Sannin only laughs as he bites down on her hand.

* * *

Screw those fight scenes - honestly. They give me headaches because they always sound so flat to me.


	17. Chapter 17

Am I fast or what? Sometimes. To make up for leaving you with a cliff hanger for so long, only to follow up with another one. Oops, my bad.

At the end there's your **extra** , btw – the idea hit me while writing this:)

* * *

There's no pain.

Logic tells her it should hurt – the cursed seal is a foreign entity, invasive, aggressive. At the very least there should be the shock of the bite itself as Orochimaru's fangs pierce cleanly through the palm of her hand. But there's nothing; only a cool numbness that leaves her head feeling fuzzy and a little euphoric. The Sannin grins into her face, evidently pleased with himself, before climbing to his feet.

"I find, I'm really looking forward to testing you out."

The words make no sense to Hisana. Nothing makes sense; right now even remembering what she needs to do is difficult – she's high, she realizes dimly. This is … bad. She lifts her hand to her face and tries to blink the fog away, but for some reason the appendage stays milky and … stripy. It's tingling now and she whacks it against the ground, chest constricting with aimless anxiety. This can't be happening – this must be fake. But there's no genjutsu that could fool her like this, no trick that could possibly make her feel like this.

Orochimaru's quiet snicker fades away as she clenches her fist, bangs it against the ground again, just to make the feeling stop. Once, twice, and then there's a crack, but she's still not feeling anything so she keeps going, conscious only of her own breathing and the increasingly wet sound of her left hand as it smears against the grass. The world narrows down to just this one thing she needs to do. It feels urgent somehow, even though with every passing second she forgets a little more _why_.

The sound of her name only distracts her momentarily.

"Hisana! What - … fuck, what's this? What – Hisana! Stop that, stop." The instructions make a bit more sense, but she shakes her head because they're also stupid. Can't this person see she's … doing something important? A hand grips her wrist firmly.

Hisana's head jerks up, fixing on the intruder's face – it looks familiar but that doesn't matter. She lashes out, simmering anxiety turning into desperation and anger. "I need – I need - !" She _has to_.

More people step out of the trees and she can feel the numbness crank up to unbearable levels; it feels as if someone dunked her heart into ice water and then forgot it there. The remains of her blade, jagged and chipped where it collided with Kusanagi, glints on the ground and she dives for it. It's pure instinct to fight and eliminate the threat and right now instinct is all that's driving her. The world makes little sense beyond the blare of **danger danger**.

 _Control yourself_ , something says tells her, and it might be her or it might be someone else. But it's just so, so hard.

"Anko keep your people away," the closest enemy growls. The others hesitate but finally retreat into the trees on one of the women's command.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Hatake. _Look at her_." Hisana's eyes meet a singular red one head on.

"Go," he says. "You're not doing any good here."

And then he turns back to Hisana, eye flashing in such a familiar way that she flinches.

"Yes," he hums, "I thought so. Let's see what you can do like this."

* * *

A noise startles her awake. Adrenaline and a ninja's startle reflex make for a rather explosive combination. Hisana shoots out of bed and across the room in the blink of an eye.

From the other side of the hospital room, Naruto gapes.

"Nee-chan, should you be doing that?" His eyes wander to where her hand is gripping the arm of a chair, ready to rip it apart and weaponize it if necessary. There's a neat, firm bandage wrapped around it.

"Naruto," she rasps, feeling a little overwhelmed, "what are you doing here?" Her head swims with pieces of information that won't quite fit together.

If hiding behind the cracked door makes him look like a naughty ten-year-old, then the awkward blush pushes him down to somewhere around toddler age.

"I'm in the room across the hall," he confesses and opens the door all the way to reveal a hospital gown and a wad of gauze taped over his ear. "I'm fine – obviously! But the doctor still said I've got to sit down and wait till Jiji says I can go." He glances over his shoulder. "Sakura-chan is with Kakashi-senpai and Sasuke-baka with the scary lady." He rather vulgarly mimes Anko's generous bust and Hisana grits her teeth. The fragmented pictures of her own encounter with Orochimaru surface and are summarily shoved to the side.

"Is … he ok?"

"Yeah, yeah – a little banged up, but a bunch of jounin picked us up real quick. But I think –" He breaks off, looking as uncertain as she's ever seen him. Hisana reluctantly pries her hand off the chair and steps towards him, suddenly concious of her own awkward hospital gown. She touches his bandaged ear, aware that the fox demon must have already healed it, then cards her fingers through his dirty hair.

"What?"

"He looked really afraid, I think." In her mind's eye, Hisana can see him in similar circumstances, saying these words and looking gleeful. Right now he looks sick, as if his entire world tilted just a little to the left. And why wouldn't he? – Sasuke is never afraid. Rarely afraid, she corrects herself. Always afraid in a way, but never when others can see.

"Did that man – bite him?" The moments the words leave her mouth she wonders if that's classified information; whether anyone knows what Orochimaru's bite does. But Naruto only looks a little weirded out.

"Nah – _ick_. He's like, a snake guy, right? Sasuke-teme isn't poisoned or anything." Hisana swallows thickly. There's relief at first, followed by another wave of anxiety, because now her thoughts are clear enough to wander towards her own problem.

"Do me a favor, will you?"

"Sure! I'm super bored anyway." She pinches him half-heartedly.

"Go and find Kakashi-senpai. I need to talk to him. And then go find Anko" – and here she lowers herself to also mime the tokujou's conspicuous shape – "and tell her to give me my cousin back."

Naruto snickers. "Got it!"

As his blond head disappears out the door, Hisana falls back onto the hospital bed. She has a few minutes at most before a nurse comes to check on her, maybe ten before Naruto finds Kakashi. Part of her itches to take off the bandage and look at what must be the seal. But it's neither achy nor numb, so she assumes someone has already healed it properly and the bandages might hide provisory containment seals. Prying them open would be monumentally stupid. Instead her mind wanders towards her make shift team. If any of them were seriously hurt, surely someone would tell her right away? But if so, why is nobody here?

 _Reports_ , a quiet voice insists in her head. _Calm down, they're probably all down in T &I_. Guilt still gnaws at her, especially when she thinks about Sora, who undoubtedly got his ass beaten the most. She'll owe him strawberry mochi until the day she dies. Hanada is going to be unbearable about it too.

Kakashi is actually faster than the nurses. Hisana isn't sure if that surprises her. There are flashes of a fight, a brief scuffle, scratching at her memory and she winces. But her team leader looks as unruffled as always.

"How are you feeling?" he demands in lieu of a greeting.

"Never one for niceties," she observes, but the teasing lilt in her voice only garners a stern look. "Yes, I know. I'm … ok. That worries me."

"It should," he asserts, deftly unwrapping her hand. "You were beat all to hell and none of our medics could force their healing chakra into you – it wouldn't stick. And yet, here we are."

Hisana's right reflexively finds her chest where Kusanagi pierced it, just below the collar bone. There's nothing there, not even a bandage. She tugs down the collar of her gown and yes, not even a scar.

The back of her hand, however, is marked by something far uglier than a scar.

"What the hell is that?" And for once her surprise isn't even faked. The mark staining her skin looks almost delicate: three slim, curved lines spiraling outward. It looks nothing like Sasuke's cursed seal.

"A seal," Kakashi says and Hisana tries not to snap at him for stating the obvious.

"Yes! But what does it do? What – how the hell do you seal someone by biting them?" The mark looks like any other seal, like a tattoo, but for some reason it disgusts her. Maybe it's the thought that Orochimaru's chakra is somewhere inside her. Or maybe it's the future it promises. Both, she decides. Definitely both.

"We'll figure it out," Kakashi promises. "Whatever it does, I already have a few ideas how to keep it under wraps." He waves her bandages at her and Hisana snorts.

"So you can make stupid jokes, but I can't?"

"I didn't nearly get killed by a legendary ninja. I don't want to hear any jokes from you until … I don't even know. You've lost your joke privileges." He looks tired. Ibiki and the Hokage are probably running everyone ragged.

"What about my team?" she finally dares to ask. To her relief he flicks her ear.

"Alive, if suddenly very aware of their own mortality. Your Nara friend is down the hall though, so you might want to visit."

* * *

Shiki's hospital room is crowded. Her mother is flitting about, adjusting flowers and silly stuffed animals everywhere, and Shikano is asleep on the only chair in the room; on the floor several Yamanaka and Akimichi children are playing rather noisily. On her bed, Shiki lounges like a queen, a piece of cake on her lap and a mug that smells suspiciously like coffee balanced on the mattress. Nara Sachiko is the first to notice Hisana. It's a testament to how terrible she must still look that the woman takes a few hurried steps towards her before she falters, not daring to actually touch.

"Uchiha-chan! Oh dear, you look – should you be up yet?"

"I'm fine," she assures her, trying for a smile even though her voice still sounds like sandpaper.

"Took you long enough," Shiki complains loudly, a weird note of humor in her voice. "I thought you'd be up and about hours ago – lazy." Her friend turns her head, and Hisana's breath catches in her throat. For a moment she gropes for words but comes up empty.

"Neat, huh?"

A slim, silvery line draws from Shiki's right temple to her left cheek. It looks as if she's barely escaped a blade, thicker in some places and hardly visible in others, but it neatly sliced through her upper lip, pulling it tight across the tough tissue. It gives her a permanent sneer, that … actually looks very much like her.

"Who pissed in your cornflakes?" Hisana says, instead of 'I'm sorry' or 'This is my fault'. On his chair, Shikano gives up any pretense of sleep and chortles.

"That's what I said," he drawls and yawns. "Finally her outsides match her insides." Shiki throws a flower at him, stem neatly aimed for his eye. He yelps and dodges dramatically enough to make the children laugh. Hisana makes her way over to Shiki's bed, suddenly feeling exhausted, and sits, careful not to upset the coffee.

"But that's not why you're here."

"Naw – chakra exhaustion. As it turns out, clan techniques are nothing to scoff at." She looks a little sheepish but mostly pleased with herself. Hisana rolls her eyes, suddenly feeling especially fond of the girl.

"But you're all right?" The scar is superficial, nothing to keep Shiki from her duty, and the longer Hisana looks at it the less it seems to stand out. But it's still not exactly pretty – one of the those things ninja acquire along the way that make civilians stare at them.

"I'm good," Shiki assures her, somewhat more seriously. "Not everyone can say they messed with a Sannin and got away with only a scar. I'm going to have nightmares for _weeks_ , but at least I didn't have to fight him alone." She shoots Hisana a pointed look before her eyes dart down to her friend's only bandage.

Hisana shrugs uncomfortably.

"I think this might be … classified? I don't even know. I'm waiting for Anko and Kakashi-senpai to get some things in order before I can say anything."

Shiki frowns as if she already expected something like this. From the corner of her eyes Hisana can seen the rest of the Nara family watch them covertly, so she steals Shiki's coffee and downs it before something truly classified can leave her mouth. "This is nice," she comments, smacking her lips. "I think I'm going to wait for Anko right here. Hospital coffee is disgusting."

"Yeah sure, you moocher."

* * *

Anko doesn't turn up. Neither do Sasuke or Naruto. It's Kakashi again who collects her, long after all the coffee is gone, Sachiko has left and Shikano has truly fallen asleep. Shiki is dozing against her shoulder, occasionally jerking awake before a nightmare has time to fully form.

"I've got to go," she whispers to her friend when his familiar lanky form appears at the door. Shiki makes an unhappy noise and slaps her arm. "You're a terrible friend," she slurs. "Who's going to wake me up now?"

"I can kick your brother awake?"

"No – just go already." The complaining is whiny enough that Hisana knows not to take it too seriously. She blows her friend a kiss and gets a snore in return. Well then.

Kakashi still looks disturbingly serious as he walks her through the hospital and down into the basement rooms. She knows, not just from the manga, that the sealing rooms are down there. Powerful seals can be incredibly corrosive; painting them on structurally important surfaces, let's say the ground of the second level rooms, would have chunks of ceiling come crashing down in no time. It's the reason why putting seals on people is so difficult; one mistake and the damage would be considerable.

The only reason why the thought of being marked up some more with potentially lethal chakra web is because she trusts Kakashi to know what the hell he's doing. The only other two people she'd let anywhere near her with this sort of ink are probably both drunk right now and very unavailable.

Her team leader pulls an old fashioned key out of his pocket to unlock one of the operating theatres where jars of ink already line the wall. He motions for her to step inside. Hisana cracks her neck, takes a breath and follows.

* * *

 **Extra**

4 Stories from Training Ground 44

1\. During her own formative years, read: genin and below, Anko spent a lot of time on training ground 44. This was, contrary to popular belief, not because Orochimaru was particularly fond of the place. Anko herself relished in the mindless pleasure of crushing monstrous insects and punching tigers. Her teacher thought the entire thing a waste of his time, only marginally interested in the occasional trinkets she brought back. He preferred the training grounds 20 through 30, reserved for specialized training and usually only accessible to jounin.

2\. There is actually a crew of tokujou that maintains the forest. These 'maintenance' tasks are mostly comprised of keeping the animal population in check, combing the forest for left over bodies and checking the safety precautions. These are necessary because for a while it was a sport among young chuunin to jump the unguarded fences and hunt for mammoth carps in the murky ponds.

As a result, a worrisome number of them lost an arm or a leg to the giant catfish that eat these carps. The security measures have been updated since.

3\. The number 44 ( 4 = shì = death) is not a happy coincidence bestowed on the actual 44th training area. Rather, it's a title given to the terrain that is the most difficult to navigate. The former training ground 44 was a network of caves adjacent to the Nara forest that caved in during the second shinobi war. The Forest of Death is officially listed as the 27th training ground. In fact, there are only forty public training grounds in Konoha.

4\. The Forest of Death is the source of constant petitions for removal by Konoha's civilians. This is due to an incidence where a baby giant tiger managed to squeeze through a hole in the fencing and wandered into the village. Nobody was hurt, mostly because the tiger was only the size of a pony and appeared more scared of the people than vice versa; but since then all of Konoha has been aware that there are dangerous animals kept close to the village. The tiger was captured (picked up and calmly carried away) by Maito Gai, much to the amusement of the general shinobi populace.

It's been over fifteen years since, but civilians appear to have a long memory. The Hokage has been able to stem any overt dissent only because nobody deemed it necessary to inform the civilians that this tiger was, in fact, not a fully grown specimen.


End file.
